


If You Want To, I Can Show You

by orphan_account



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Angst and Drama, Coming Out, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Light Drinking, M/M, Mutual Pining, Parent AU, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:28:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 44,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24676924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Kuroo Tetsurou is an exhausted high school chemistry teacher, single father of an overly energetic six-year-old, and he's got scars over his heart that he doesn't think will ever be able to heal. When the mother of his child unexpectedly moves back to the city with her boyfriend, Kuroo isn't equipped to deal with it and starts to question all of his life decisions. Thankfully he has good friends who are there to help him. But one in particular becomes more helpful than he would've ever thought, especially considering how they've known each other for less than a week.MARKED AS COMPLETE, BUT IT HAS BEEN ABANDONED
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Kozume Kenma, Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, past bokuaka and kuroken
Comments: 45
Kudos: 141





	1. Chapter 1

Kuroo looked up at the clock hanging on his wall and stretched. It was well past school hours, but he’d stayed in his office just in case any of his students wanted to do the extra credit lab he always offered every first Wednesday of the month. It was open to anyone who wanted to get extra credit, but they were rarely attended at all. Sometimes he’d get maybe two students ready and excited to do some experiments, but more often than not, no one came. He advertised them well, so he was always curious as to why no one ever came. Apparently it was mostly because students had clubs at that time, which he should've seen coming, honestly.

But he kept offering the labs as it was a bit of an excuse to get some time to himself. Raising a child as a single father was exhausting, and a part of him did feel a bit guilty for making Kenma watch his son for an extra few hours every month. But he’d been doing it for the past few years and Kenma was too smart to not catch on, so he took it to mean that Kenma didn’t mind it. 

He realized that he’d been at school a little longer than usual, even for lab days, and he’d forgotten to text Kenma. He immediately took out his phone to see a few texts from him, timestamped around the time he usually would come to pick up his son. 

_Kenma: r u gonna be much longer?_  
_Kenma: kid’s goin a lil cray_  
_Kenma: actuleeeee nvm_  
_Kenma: Keiji just got home_

It was a little nerve wracking to see that Kenma was having a hard time controlling his son, but Kuroo couldn’t blame him. Shoyo was a ball of energy, and although Kuroo loved him to pieces, he could be a little much to handle. Especially for Kenma, who needed his alone time or he’d combust. 

Kuroo sent a quick text back. 

_Kuroo: Sorry, Kenma. I’m omw now, had to stay for the lab_  
_Kuroo: sorry I forgot to text u_

_Kenma: ooooohhhhhh right 4got abt that lol_  
_Kenma: no worries, Keiji’s got him under control_

Kuroo sighed in relief. If Kenma’s boyfriend was good for anything, it was controlling children. He did work at a daycare, after all. 

Kuroo had to pat himself on the back; he’d kind of been the driving force to get Akaashi and Kenma together. He’d had Kenma pick up Shoyo one day at the daycare when he’d been running late and Akaashi had been the one signing out the kids that day. Kenma wasn’t on the list of people okayed to pick up Shoyo, so he’d called Kuroo in a mild panic. 

“There’s a Kozume here saying he’s picking up Shoyo, but he’s not on the list of guardians, and honestly he looks a little shady,” Akaashi had said to Kuroo. 

Kuroo still laughed about the fact that Akaashi said Kenma looked shady. “Yeah, I’m so sorry I never put him on the list, he’s my best friend. I’m running a little late so I asked him to pick up Sho. I didn’t realize it would cause problems for you, Akaashi, I’m sorry.” 

Kuroo could hear the tension leave Akaashi’s voice as soon as he realized Kenma wasn’t some kidnapper. “Okay, no problem. We’re going to need your signature to put him on the list, in any case.” 

“That makes sense, and we could avoid this whole situation in the future... But, like I said, I’m running late, Akaashi, I don’t want you to have to wait for me.” 

“It’s no bother, Kuroo, really. How long do you think you’ll be?” 

“Probably another hour at least, for once a few students showed up to the lab I offer for extra credit.” 

“We can take care of the signature at a later date, I suppose, but even if you do say this Kozume is here to pick up Shoyo, I’m not completely comfortable letting him leave with him. I’ll take them both to neutral ground, the park near the daycare.” 

Kuroo blinked. “Oh... okay?” It had been really weird behavior for Akaashi, and Kuroo was willing to bet that he thought that Kenma was cute and wanted to get to know him better. So, of course, he used Kuroo’s son as an excuse. “I’ll be there as soon as I can, Akaashi.” 

“I’ll see you then, Kuroo.” 

Kuroo had found the three of them at the park, Shoyo playing on the playground with some other kids while Kenma and Akaashi sat on a bench watching him and chatting. He observed the two of them for a few minutes before deciding that they definitely had a thing for each other. He played matchmaker and the rest was history. 

They’d been together for three years now, living together for over half of that time. Kuroo was happy he’d been able to find his best friend someone special. At least he could find a happy and healthy relationship for _someone._

He made his way to their apartment and found Shoyo playing with Akaashi in the living room. 

“Daddy!” Shoyo yelled happily, running into Kuroo’s arms as soon as he crossed the threshold. 

“Hey, kiddo,” Kuroo pressed a kiss to his son’s fluffy orange hair after he picked him up. “Were you good for Uncle Keiji and Uncle Kenma?” 

“The bestest!” Shoyo exclaimed proudly, throwing his arms out wide. 

“Hmm, that’s not what Kenma said,” he glanced over at Akaashi with a raised eyebrow.

“He was a little more high strung than normal, Kenma just wasn’t sure how to deal with it,” Akaashi shrugged. “But he’s more calmed down now.” 

“Good. Is Kenma streaming?” he asked, setting Shoyo down. 

Akaashi nodded before saying, “Sho, I bet you can't put more of these toys away than me.” 

“I can too!!!” Shoyo eagerly started putting away the toys with Akaashi, falling into the trap so easily. He got the competitive streak from his father, that was for sure. 

Kuroo laughed at how quickly Shoyo threw the toys into the toy box and took out his phone to send a quick text to Kenma. 

_Kuroo: I’m gonna take Sho home, didn’t want to interrupt your stream. Sorry he was so high-strung today. As always, though, thanks for taking care of him, I really appreciate it so much._

_Kenma: don’t you dare take him without letting me say goodbye to him._  
_Kenma: also I guess I should probably have at least some kind of conversation with you._  
_Kenma: come into my gaming room w/him, I need to introduce you as Sho’s dad so people stop thinking I'M his dad. Also get Keiji in here bc I gotta make a few announcements_

Kuroo snorted at how he was an afterthought. His heart clenched at the thought that Kenma spent more time with his son than he did. And he probably had a lot more fun with Kenma than he did with Kuroo, since he had to be the dad who dealt out discipline and Kenma was the fun uncle who he got to play games with all day.

He shook those thoughts away and smiled at his son. “Hey, Sho, are you done putting toys away?” 

“Yep! And I beat Unc-Keiji at putting the toys away!" he said proudly.

"Good job, bud!" Kuroo ruffled Shoyo's hair and bent down to give him a huge hug. "Now, let's go. Kenma wants all three of us to join him in his gaming room.” 

Akaashi smiled. “Guess he’s announcing it, then.” 

Kuroo raised an eyebrow but Akaashi didn’t elaborate on his cryptic words. 

The three of them walked down the hall to Kenma’s room and Shoyo threw open the door without warning. 

“We’re here, Unc-Ken!!!” he yelled much louder than necessary. 

“Great, all three of you?” Kenma didn’t turn around, keeping his eyes on his game. “Come over here so you’re all on camera.” 

Shoyo zoomed over and climbed into Kenma’s lap like he’d done it a million times. Kuroo was sure he had. The two men crowded around Kenma’s chair, Kuroo having to crane his neck like some kind of peacock to fit in the frame. 

“Okay, I have a few super important announcements. First of all, Sho, who’s your dad?” Kenma asked, looking down at the boy in his lap. 

Shoyo looked at Kuroo, who made a silly face at him. He giggled and pointed. “That's Daddy!” 

“See? You can all stop the conspiracy theories that Sho is my secret lovechild.” 

“What’s a secret lovechild?” Shoyo asked, looking between the three men. 

“What ideas are you corrupting my son with?!” Kuroo clasped his hands over Shoyo’s ears, glaring at Kenma. 

“Please, like I could corrupt this ray of sunshine,” Kenma rolled his eyes as Shoyo slapped Kuroo’s hands away and got comfortable in his lap. “Anyway, announcement number two, equally as important.” He paused for a moment as the chat moved at lightning speed and rolled his eyes. Kuroo couldn’t understand how he could read all the comments. “First of all, no, Kuroo is _not_ my boyfriend, I see those questions and I resent that you would even think I could love his bedhead-looking ass.” 

“Daddy has bedhead!” Shoyo laughed. 

“You _are_ corrupting him!” Kuroo gasped. "Also, _rude,_ Kenma. You know you love me." 

"Gross," Kenma shook his head. "Moving on..."

Akaashi patted Shoyo’s head to get his attention and put a finger to his lips with a smile on his face. 

Kuroo noticed something glint on his left finger and only realized moments before Kenma spoke what that meant and his jaw dropped. 

_“Announcement number two._ Keiji and I have decided to take our relationship to the next level.” 

Both of them held up their left hands, matching silver rings on their ring fingers and huge smiles on their faces. How had Kuroo not noticed that Akaashi had an engagement ring on as soon as he'd gotten into their apartment?! Maybe he’d slipped it on in the time they’d walked to Kenma’s gaming den. That must be it; he wouldn’t miss something so important. 

He looked over at Akaashi, but he was just looking at Kenma with adoration in his eyes and a dopey grin on his face. 

Shoyo seemed completely neutral about this announcement, only noticing Kenma’s ring when he put his hand back down on the keyboard. He grabbed Kenma’s hand and made various admiring sounds, to the amusement of the three men. 

“So,” Kenma looked into the camera. “No more saying that Sho is my son, no more saying that Kuroo and I are secretly dating. Yes, I’ve seen those conspiracy theory tweets. Kejii has put up with enough of that shit, and we’re getting married. And I have no intention of having an affair with Kuroo, before you get that gross idea in your disgusting heads. He’s my best friend, and Akaashi is my fiancé, end of story.” 

Shoyo had fallen asleep on Kenma’s lap, still clutching his hand, having gotten comfortable and it was around his bedtime anyway. 

“Are you fucking serious, you couldn’t have told me _any_ of this before you announced it to the entire world?” Kuroo hissed. 

Kenma waved his hand in Kuroo’s face as if shooing a fly away. “Anyway, the final announcement. Some of you might consider this the most important one. Keiji and I are going to be at the YouTube convention in Tokyo next month. So, if you want to meet us and chat with us, we will be there.” 

Kuroo gaped again. “ _Fuck,_ Kenma, it’s like I don’t even exist.” 

“We had to lock everything in, Kuroo, we only found out today about the convention,” Akaashi said quietly, leaning behind Kenma’s chair to get closer to Kuroo’s ear. 

“You could’ve at least told me you got _engaged,_ Jesus,” Kuroo muttered as he ran a hand through his hair. He already felt like teaching high schoolers was making him go bald, and the fact that his best friend had just dropped both of these bombs on him was _not helping._

Akaashi gave him an apologetic glance before pressing a kiss to Kenma’s cheek. “We look forward to meeting all of you who are going, and hope that you are all excited as well,” he said, playing the part of a gamer's boyfriend perfectly. 

“Anyway, that’s all the time I have for the stream today, so I’m gonna log off to spend some time with my fiancé and also give some well overdue explanations to my best friend. Kodzuken, OUT!” Kenma held up a peace sign to his eye and winked, as per usual for his outro.

He logged off the stream and shut off his computer and sighed. “Let’s go out to the living room and we can talk there. I’ll put him in the spare room for now,” he jostled Shoyo lightly, who was sleeping like a log, and carried him to the room across the hall. 

Kuroo’s head was reeling. It was the same feeling as when his ex-girlfriend had told him she was pregnant and didn’t want the kid. He was on the verge of panic, but he took a deep breath. He knew in his heart that Kenma and Akaashi weren’t like her. Not by a longshot. But it was a lot harder to convince his head of that fact. 

He sat down on the couch in the living room and took deep breaths while Akaashi went to the kitchen. “You want a beer?” he asked. 

“Abso- _fucking_ -lutely,” Kuroo groaned, catching the bottle Akaashi threw at him. “This is a lot to take in, ‘Kaashi.” 

“I know,” Akaashi sighed, sitting down on the couch opposite. “We really did mean to tell you, but we could never really find a good time to do so.” 

Kuroo downed half the bottle of beer and let out a dark chuckle. “Bullshit.” 

“Kuroo, we really weren’t trying to keep you in the dark,” Kenma said, coming into the living room. He sat down next to Akaashi, clasping onto his hand and fiddling with his fingers. 

“Really? How long have you been engaged?” 

They were both silent and gave each other a sideways glance. 

“That’s what I thought,” Kuroo sighed, scratching his head. “Fuck, I’m just... Congratulations are in order. So, first off, congratulations." He held up his beer bottle in a celebratory motion and smiled. "I am happy for you guys. But I’m hurt that you didn’t tell me before everyone else. I mean... I’m your best friend, Kenma. I thought we were closer than that. You couldn’t have...?” He rubbed his forehead with his hand. 

“Okay, the truth is we really wanted it to be a surprise, but I guess that backfired, huh?” Kenma sighed. 

“I really am happy, you guys. I’m just...” Kuroo took a swig of the beer in his hand. “I still...” He shook his head. "Never mind." 

“Kuroo...” Kenma looked at his best friend, who was avoiding his eyes and just staring at the beer bottle. 

“It’s fine, I'm over her.” Kuroo’s hands clenched the bottle as he growled that out, before he finished the beer off. 

“I really don’t think you are, but I guess if you think you are, it’s not my business,” Kenma shrugged. “Also, I hate to bring it up right now, but during the week of the convention, you’re going to have to find someone else to watch Sho.” 

“Okay, when is it? The whole week?” 

"Yep, we have to be there to set up stuff and a bunch of YouTubers are going to be hanging out and I’ll finally get to meet some of my gamer buddies in real life.” 

Kuroo nodded. “M’kay. Guess I’ll ask Yaku or Kai...” 

“Are you thinking of enrolling him in elementary school soon? He’s around the age where you should start thinking about that,” Akaashi said. “One of my friends is a teacher and I highly recommend him. I think he and Shoyo would get along very well.” 

Akaashi trying to backseat parent grated on Kuroo’s nerves more than a little bit, especially considering the stunt the two of them had just pulled, but he _was_ right. “Yeah, I suppose I should get him into school soon,” Kuroo sighed. “God, it really has been six years... The kid’s growing up so fast. Soon enough, I’ll be teaching him in high school,” he choked out a laugh. “What school does your friend teach at, Akaashi?” 

“Fukurodani Elementary.” 

“I’ll look into it. I did want to have him go to the Nekoma schools, but I’m willing to consider other options if my friends suggest them.” Kuroo nodded, getting off the couch. “I’m gonna take him home now, I think he’s wiped. And he sleeps better in his own bed anyway.” 

“Kuroo, before you go, I need to make sure that you know we didn’t think it would turn out this way. I forgot how much you don’t like surprises like this, and I’m sorry.” Kenma looked him in the eyes. 

“I know. And I don’t resent you for it at all, I promise. Congratulations on finally getting engaged. And you’re welcome,” he smirked. He never let them forget that he was the reason they were together. 

“Yeah, yeah, go get Sho and get out of here.” Kenma rolled his eyes. 

Kuroo laughed lightly as he walked down the hall to wake up his son. 

When he got into the room, he took a deep breath and looked down at his sleeping angel’s face. He ran a hand through Shoyo’s soft hair and pressed a kiss to his temple. He really did love his son with his whole heart, and he would give anything to make sure that he was happy. As long as Shoyo was happy, he was, too. 


	2. Chapter 2

Kuroo hadn’t considered the consequences of appearing in Kenma’s stream until the next day at school. He knew that some of his students watched Kenma’s videos and streams; he’d heard them talk about him before. It made him happy that his best friend was doing so well. He’d also heard them gossip about how the kid during “Sho-Streams” looked exactly like the kid Kuroo had in the picture on his desk. 

It was a shot of the two of them at a summer festival that Kenma had taken. Shoyo was holding up a fish in a plastic bag, a huge grin on his face and Kuroo was throwing up a peace sign with his other arm wrapped around his son. He’d been in the middle of saying something to Kenma, so the look on his face was less than flattering, but Shoyo’s smile had been so radiant that he couldn’t resist putting the picture on his desk. It always reminded him on rough days that it was all worth it as long as Shoyo was able to smile. 

None of his students knew for sure that they were related, let alone that Shoyo was his son. When they asked who the kid was, he’d give a ridiculous explanation. “I found him on the side of the road and took him in, like a stray cat.” “He’s an alien.” “I have no idea, he just showed up at my house one day, begging me to feed him.” “Poor kid needed someone to take a picture with.” “I have never seen this child in my entire life.” “I’ve watched him for my friend for a long time and now we have a bond.” “He washed up on the riverbank near my house.” “The man in the photo is my long-lost twin brother. We were separated at birth and that’s all I have to go on to find him.” 

He supposed that his students had mostly figured it out by now, but by keeping the ambiguity of it, he didn’t have to get asked awkward questions that he didn’t like to answer. 

After class that day, one of his students came up to him after everyone else had left, his face filled with determination. 

“Ogami, hello,” he nodded, organizing papers on his desk. “What can I do for you?” 

“Mr. Kuroo, I have reason to believe that the kid in the photo on your desk is your son,” he said, like he’d just come up with the answer to everything in the universe. 

Kuroo blinked. “Oh? And what makes you say that?” 

“You said it in Kodzuken’s stream.” 

Kuroo’s heart leapt to his throat, his whole body involuntarily going rigid, ready to bolt. Well, no use in denying it at this point. “Ah. That. Yes.” 

“So he _is_ your son.” 

“You caught me; you’ve solved the mystery! Congratulations, Ogami!” Kuroo slow-clapped for his student. “Sorry I don’t have some kind of prize for you.” 

“Why did you never tell us?” 

He shrugged, shoving the papers into his bag before brushing past the boy. “To avoid questions exactly like that one. If you’ll excuse me.” 

He knew he was being snippy, but he couldn’t help it. It hadn’t really occurred to him in the moment that his students watched Kenma’s videos. He took out his phone and called the streamer in question. He rarely called, and Kenma knew it was important whenever he did. 

Thankfully he answered on the second ring. 

“What’s up?” 

“Kenma, have you ever seen comments from my students on any of your videos?” 

"Oh. Now that you mention it, yeah.” 

There was a brief pause as Kuroo waited for some kind of elaboration, but it didn’t come. 

“And you never told me? What did they say?” 

“A lot of them said that Sho looks like the kid in a picture on their teacher’s desk. I didn’t really think much of it, honestly. Didn’t even occur to me that they’re your students until just now. And I didn’t realize that you were keeping him a secret.” 

“I’m not-” Kuroo took a deep breath to collect himself. “I’m not keeping him a secret. I just don’t want to answer questions about it.” 

“Kuroo, were you ever that concerned about your teachers’ lives when you were in high school? Do you really think your students will be?” 

“I mean, now that they know I’m your friend, they might! And you even called me your best friend! God, Kenma, you’ve opened a can of worms I wasn’t ready to deal with! Two whole cans, as a matter of fact!” 

“Don’t pin this on me, Kuroo,” Kenma’s voice took a dangerous edge. “You could’ve just said that you weren’t ready for it, and I would’ve respected your decision.” 

“You didn’t really give me a choice! You just said you were sick of people assuming he’s your son! Plus I didn’t expect my students to be watching it!” 

Kenma sighed. “Do you know how many times Shoyo’s accidentally called me his dad? Do you know how many times he looks at couples in TV shows and asks why he doesn’t have a mommy? Too many times. It’s time for you to grow up and own your decisions. You can’t protect him forever. You’ve got to stop trying to be the ‘perfect dad.’ You’re not, and you’ve got to own up to that. And, honestly, all he really needs is for you to be a good dad. And you’re kinda fucking that up.” 

Kenma’s words hit Kuroo right where it hurt. He was right; he had been running from a lot of things. He’d wanted his son’s childhood to be happier than his own, but... he was kind of doing the same thing his own dad had done. He was working long hours, longer than he needed to, honestly, and shoving his son onto his best friend. A part of him wanted to be a normal young adult without a kid, he wanted to date and have a relationship with someone, he wanted... He wanted a lot of things, but of course all those things had been put on the backburner because of Shoyo. 

And sometimes Kuroo hated it. 

It wasn’t Shoyo that he hated, of course not; he loved his son with his whole heart. What he hated was the fact that he'd been stupid and his girlfriend had gotten pregnant. 

He bit his lip and took a shaky breath. “You’re right, Kenma. I’m sorry about all of this, and... I’m sorry I'm such a terrible friend.” 

“You’re not a terrible friend, Kuroo,” Kenma said quietly. “You’re just a little misguided and need me to set you straight sometimes.” 

“But, Kenma, you know I'm not,” Kuroo snorted. 

“Yeah, maybe don’t listen to me cause I'm not either.” 

They both snickered, glad that they could joke around with each other, even after such a heavy conversation. “Thanks, Kenma. I’ve got some papers to grade, but as soon as I’m done with that I’ll pick him up, okay?” 

“Sounds good. I’ll see you later then.” 

“Yeah. And, really, Kenma, thanks.” 

“Ew, you’re getting all sappy, I'm hanging up now.” 

“But puddin’ head, I love you!” He jokingly made his voice high-pitched and dragged out the last word as Kenma hung up on him. 

He laughed lightly, putting his phone back in his pocket. He then noticed some students hanging out in the hallway were giving him strange looks. 

Kuroo Tetsurou wasn’t one to get embarrassed easily, but having his students hear him like that, especially realizing too late that he’d used Kenma’s nickname from high school, was a bit embarrassing. He coughed and tried to hold onto whatever dignity he had left as he walked to the teachers’ room. 

Thankfully it was the end of the day and after grading a few assignments, he could go home and spend time with his son. 

“Mr. Kuroo.” 

Unless one of his fellow teachers came up to him, looking a bit jittery. 

He put on his best smile and turned around to face her, trying not to show that he was eager to get home. 

“Yes, what is it?” he asked. 

“Um, it’s just that... I watched Kodzuken’s stream yesterday and -” 

“Ah, it’s the talk of the school, isn’t it?” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Yes, I have a son; yes, I’m best friends with the famous Kodzuken. Anything else?” 

“Um... would you be able to get his autograph for me?” 

He blinked. Well, he hadn’t been expecting that. But, honestly, he should’ve seen it coming. It came with the territory of having a famous best friend, didn’t it? 

“Sorry, I’m not sure I’d be able to. He is really busy, and honestly I hardly ever see him. I only came onto the stream because he wanted to announce his engagement and those other things.” 

“Oh...” she looked so disappointed. 

He scratched the back of his head. “Next time I see him, I’ll ask, and if he says yes, I’ll be sure to get it for you, okay?” 

She immediately lit up and looked him in the eyes. “Thank you so much, Mr. Kuroo!” 

She ran off and Kuroo shook his head. What a day it was. He was more than ready to just go pick up Shoyo and maybe they’d even get some meat buns from that store he liked. 

He quickly got the assignments graded and another teacher went to stop him as he was leaving. 

“I’m so sorry, but I have to leave early today. I’ve gotten everything done that I needed to get done, and now I’ve got to go home to my son. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he bowed and slipped past the older teacher. 

He waved to the few students still in the hallway as he hurried past them, but he thankfully wasn’t stopped. Maybe it had already spread around the school that he did have a son, but honestly he didn’t care. He had to set right the fact that he _was_ Shoyo’s father and that Kenma was just his uncle. 

He quickly made his way to Kenma and Akaashi’s apartment, ready to take his son out to the park or something, to start the redemption of himself as a good father. He just wanted the best for his son, and honestly if taking him out to ice cream or something every once in a while would do that, he’d do it. Of course he knew there was more to fatherhood than that, but he wanted to make sure that Shoyo knew he could count on him. 

He waltzed into the apartment, thinking that Shoyo would be in the living room playing with Akaashi. He was not expecting to see Akaashi sitting on the couch with another man’s hands on his shoulders... _kissing him?_ He wasn’t one to jump to conclusions, and he wasn’t about to accuse Akaashi of cheating on his fiancé while _in their apartment with said fiancé right down the hall,_ but Akaashi had better explain himself real quick. 

“Oh, thank god you’re here, Kuroo!” Akaashi broke out of the hold the other man had on him, which was a considerable feat considering how buff the other man was. “This is Bokuto, my friend from high school.” 

“C’mon, Akaashi, I thought we were closer than that,” Bokuto laughed from his seat on the couch as Akaashi stood up. 

Kuroo narrowed his eyes and cocked an eyebrow. “And he’s here why?” 

“He wanted to congratulate me and Kenma, and he was begging me for details of the proposal.” 

“Not what it looked like,” Kuroo muttered. 

Akaashi was dumbstruck for a moment. “Oh, god. What did you...?” He paused for a moment, realizing how it must’ve looked from where Kuroo had stood at the door when he came in. “Oh, _god._ No. No. I would _never_ cheat on Kenma, you know that, Kuroo.” He looked right in Kuroo’s eyes as he spoke, daring him to think otherwise. “Bokuto is just very unaware of personal space.” 

“I’m Bokuto Koutaro,” said man introduced himself, having come up behind Akaashi as the other two were talking. “Nice to meet you.” He was, indeed, very close to Akaashi, beaming. It wasn’t the face of a man who had been caught kissing an engaged man, but Kuroo was still a little suspicious. 

“I’m Kuroo Tetsuro,” Kuroo nodded, engaging in the small talk. “Likewise.” 

There was a click of a door and a slam before the pitter-patter of tiny feet down the hallway. 

“Daddy!” Shoyo sprinted and leaped at Kuroo as soon as he saw him. “Unc-Ken said he heard you so I came to see you!” 

“I’m glad you did, bud,” Kuroo held his son against his chest in a huge bear hug and kissed the top of his head. “How was your day?” 

“I got to play with Bo!” He looked over at Bokuto with a huge smile. “And then I played with Unc-Ken when Unc-Keiji came home!” 

Kuroo hummed and shot a questioning look at Bokuto, who grinned back. “Have you played with him before?” 

“Mmm, yeah! He’s really fun!” 

“More fun than me?” 

“Yep!” 

Kuroo set Shoyo down and clutched his heart. “Oof. That hurt, Shoyo.” He dropped down to his hands and knees for dramatic effect. 

Shoyo was about to climb onto Kuroo’s back to ride him like a pony, but Kuroo quickly flipped onto his back and grabbed him, attacking his sides with tickles. “I gotcha!” he laughed with his son. 

Shoyo’s laughs echoed throughout the apartment, and Kuroo was pretty sure Kenma was going to yell at them to keep it down during his recording or something, but nothing of the sort happened. 

“Unc-Keiji, help!” Shoyo squealed, reaching out for Akaashi. 

The man smiled fondly and rolled his eyes. “Not much I can do, squirt. Your dad’s stronger than I am.” 

“Noooo!!!” the boy gasped, and finally Kuroo let his son out of his grip, deeming his punishment good enough. 

“That’s what you get for saying that Bokuto’s more fun than I am,” Kuroo smirked, running a hand through his hair. 

“You’re a meanie,” Shoyo stuck his tongue out from where he hid behind Bokuto’s legs. 

“C’mon, Sho, I was thinking we could go get your favorite meat buns today.” 

The boy’s eyes lit up and he immediately ran back over to Kuroo, clenching his fists and bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Really, Daddy?!” 

“Of course, bud,” he said, brushing his son’s hair away from his eyes. “What do you think?” 

“Let’s go, let’s go!” he jumped around his dad, excited out of his mind. 

“Okay, okay,” Kuroo chuckled. “We definitely will. Let’s say bye to Uncle Ken first, though, yeah?” 

“Mmhmm!!!” Shoyo ran back down the hallway and flung the door to Kenma’s gaming room open, as he tended to do. 

Kuroo was sure Shoyo was the only one who could ever get away with that; there was no way even Akaashi could do that without getting a harsh scolding. 

“Unc-Ken, me and daddy are leaving! We’re going to get meat buns!” Shoyo announced loudly. 

"I wasn't actually sure you were here.” Kenma turned around to see Kuroo behind Shoyo. “You’re super early to pick him up.” 

“Told you I was coming here straight after school,” Kuroo shrugged, noticing that Kenma was working on editing one of his videos. “Oh, I had a teacher come up to me asking for your autograph today.” 

Kenma hummed. “I’m not surprised, I am super famous after all.” 

“Get over yourself, hotshot,” Kuroo rolled his eyes. “I told her I’d ask you about it, so would you-?” 

“No problem,” he shrugged. 

“Unc-Ken, I gotta play with Bo today!” Shoyo interrupted their conversation. 

“Bokuto’s here?” Kenma asked, blinking. 

“Didn’t you already know that? And you know him?” Kuroo cocked his head to the side. 

“Genuinely I don’t even know what day it is,” Kenma pinched the bridge of his nose. “But, yeah, he comes over quite a bit, actually. He and Keiji are close, after all.” 

“How close?” Kuroo crossed his arms over his chest. He still wasn’t quite sold that he hadn’t seen the two of them kissing in the living room. And if he came over as often as Kenma said, it wouldn’t be surprising for them to have a cover story. 

Kenma shrugged, striding over to the doorway. “They’ve been friends for a long time. They dated for a while when they were in high school, like we did, so don’t get it in your head that they’re going to start something behind my back, Kuroo,” he said under his breath as he walked past him. 

“Who said I was?” Kuroo held up his hands innocently. 

"I know you’re trying to protect me, Kuroo, but you don't have that right. Keiji is a good man, and he’s the one I'm going to marry. Also not everyone’s life is a soap opera like yours so don't go dragging me into it again," he rolled his eyes.

He left Kuroo standing in the doorway as he followed Shoyo, who had long since ran back out to the living room. Kuroo took a few moments to compose himself, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. 

Kenma was right; he was being too protective. He didn’t want his best friend to have to suffer like him, and honestly he was too paranoid for his own good sometimes. A part of him had never really let go of Kenma after they broke up. It had been a mutual agreement, and they'd remained best friends, obviously. Kuroo had set him up with Akaashi in hopes that the love he had for Kenma would've gone away, but part of his heart _refused_ to cooperate. Being in love with your childhood best friend is something that's hard to let go of.

He heard footsteps coming down the hallway and turned to see Akaashi approaching him. “Don’t say anything. I’m sorry,” he said before Akaashi could speak. “I’m way too protective of him; I know that. Maybe borderline possessive, and I don't have any right to be like that. I lost that when..." He shook his head and cleared his throat. "Anyway, you really are great for each other and I trust you. I mean, after all, I do trust you with my son, so why shouldn’t I trust you with my best friend?” 

Akaashi snorted. “I’m not able to break your son’s heart; I very well could break your best friend’s.” 

Kuroo looked at him in alarm, ready to take Kenma back in the blink of an eye. 

“You know I'm not planning to, and I never will, Kuroo. I promise that. Whatever you think you saw, I'm guessing it looked like Bokuto was kissing me from the angle you were at, I promise it didn’t happen. He and I didn’t work out. We just... never had the spark that we hoped was there. And as much as we tried to make it work, it just never did. Plus, he moved for college and neither of us were willing to put forth the effort of a long-distance relationship." Well, _that_ sounded familiar. "You can rest assured that he and I will never get back together. Truly, he just doesn’t have any sense of personal space and was begging me for details.” 

“Okay, Keiji, I get it,” Kuroo waved his hand to cut off Akaashi’s rambling, his body slumping in relief. “I’m sorry for doubting you, really. I've been selfish and... Kenma really loves you. I’ve been projecting my own insecurities onto the two of you, and I'm very sorry about that. I really wish you two every happiness.” 

They shook hands like they were sealing some kind of deal, and then walked out to the living room to join the other men and Shoyo. 

“Daddy! Bo said he could be my teacher!” Shoyo said, grinning up at Kuroo. 

“Oh?” Kuroo looked at Akaashi. “This is your teacher friend you told me about?” 

“Yeah, but I wasn’t really expecting you two to meet so soon.” 

“Sorry, did you have another school in mind for him to go to?” Bokuto asked, looking up at Kuroo with apologetic eyes from where he was sitting on the floor. 

“Well...” Kuroo sighed. “I haven’t really looked into schools yet, honestly. But I’m willing to listen to any pitch you have for me.” 

“Really? I’d love it so much if Shoyo came into my class, he’s a really sweet kid!” 

“He is, isn’t he?” Kuroo smiled. “He gets it from his mother.” 

“He does _not_ and you know it, Kuroo,” Kenma scoffed from the couch, where he was laying down playing his Switch. 

Kuroo rolled his eyes, noticing Bokuto look between the two of them with a confused look on his face. 

He froze when he remembered that Shoyo was in the room with them. “Well, um... Shoyo, let’s go get meat buns with Bokuto and he’ll share his pitch and we’ll decide if you want to go to Fukurodani, yeah?” 

“Meat buns!” Shoyo yelled, pumping his fists in the air and running to the door. 

Bokuto blinked at Kuroo, looking even more befuddled. 

“Sorry, I... Do you mind?” 

“No, of course not, but...” 

Kuroo shook his head. “Eventually I’m sure it’ll come up again, but please, not in front of Shoyo.” 

“Noted,” Bokuto nodded, also getting his shoes from the entrance. 

“And _you’re_ the one who says never to bring her up in front of him,” Kenma muttered, shaking his head. 

Kuroo flipped him off, annoyed at the whole situation he’d accidentally put himself in. He took a deep breath before slapping on a smile for his son. He had to keep it together, even if he felt like everything was on the verge of unravelling. 


	3. Chapter 3

Shoyo led the way to Sakanoshita Store where Kuroo always bought the meat buns. He skipped, singing a song about meat buns and how much he loved them. Shoyo was always coming up with little songs, and the meat bun song was one of his most sung. The other was the bathroom song, which amused Kuroo to no end when he sang it in a public place. 

“Don’t go too far, Sho,” Kuroo called after his son. “I need to be able to see you.” 

“Okay, Daddy!” Shoyo yelled back, much louder than was necessary and then going right back to singing his meat bun song. 

Kuroo chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t think that kid has an off switch.” 

“He’s got energy, that’s for sure,” Bokuto agreed. “So, what are you looking for in a school for him?” 

Kuroo blinked. “Going right into it, are we? Okay. Well...” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Honestly, I’m not... entirely sure. I mean, being a teacher myself I’ve got an idea, but elementary school is very different than high school, so...” 

Bokuto nodded. “That’s fair. I mean, if I had a kid, I wouldn’t really have any idea of what high school I'd want them to go to.” 

“What made you want to be an elementary school teacher?” 

“I love kids,” Bokuto smiled. “Plus, I mean... I’ve got a lot of energy to spare, too, so I think I kinda understand them better than some other adults. Akaashi was kind of the one to push me into it, actually. I worked at the daycare with him for a while, and he noticed that I really liked teaching them the alphabet and stuff. I mean, not that we really _had_ to, I just... kinda took to it.” 

Kuroo nodded, keeping his eyes on Shoyo. He’d stopped to look at some flowering weeds on the side of the road, something he did on a regular basis. Honestly it was so cute and pure that Kuroo couldn’t help but pull out his phone to take a picture of him. He had dozens of photos like this, but he knew that moments like that were fleeting and he wanted to document his son growing up. 

“I get that, kids are super fun to be around,” he responded to Bokuto’s explanation. “Honestly Shoyo’s the best thing to ever happen to me.” 

Bokuto licked his lips, looking over at Kuroo before he could ask something that might be over the line. “So, like... you’re pretty young to have a kid his age.” 

Kuroo shrugged, sighing. “I mean, not as young as some, but you’re right. How old do you think I am, though, out of curiosity?” His eyes took a playful glint. 

“Uhh... twenty... two?” Bokuto scrunched his shoulders, unsure if that would be offensive or not. 

Kuroo’s laugh was short and loud, catching Shoyo’s attention. “I appreciate that. But off by a few years. I’m twenty-six. Had the kid when I was twenty. I wasn’t stupid, and I knew... well, I was stupid, but I knew what could happen. And, amazingly...” He sighed. “It did.” 

“What happened?!” Shoyo came up to the two men and bounced on his toes in front of them, only catching the last bit of what Kuroo had said. 

“You did, bud,” Kuroo ruffled his hair. “Now, come on, let’s get those meat buns before the store closes.” 

They continued walking and Shoyo held on to Kuroo’s hand, singing about meat buns again. 

Bokuto wasn’t sure if they should continue their conversation, so he kept his mouth shut and Kuroo sang along with his son. He had a _really_ nice voice, and Bokuto would pay money to hear him sing on a regular basis. 

When they got to the store, the automatic door opened and Shoyo shot right to where the meat buns were. A man who looked to be in his early thirties nodded at them from behind the counter, a cigarette in his mouth. 

Kuroo nodded back, going straight to the alcohol section. 

Bokuto followed him, unsure of what else to do. 

“What kind do you like?” Kuroo asked him, nodding towards the beer as he grabbed a pack. 

“Oh, uh...” Bokuto blushed. “Honestly I don’t... really drink much. Don’t want to set a ‘bad example’ for kids, y’know.” He put air quotes around “bad example” because honestly he thought it was a stupid rule when everyone else around him got to have drinking parties with their coworkers. 

“Well, guess you’re just gonna have to have my favorite,” Kuroo smirked. 

“Wait, what?” 

Kuroo smiled at him before brushing past and grabbing some snacks. “You like these, though, right? Hell, even if you don’t, I’m buying them. Pick something you like, though, I don’t want you to feel like you can’t.” 

Bokuto was so confused as to what was happening right now. 

“You’re gonna pitch to me why I should send Shoyo to your school, right?” Kuroo looked over his shoulder. “Why not do it over a couple beers and snacks?” 

“Oh. I thought... you’d want it to be more... professional or something...” Bokuto muttered, grabbing some snacks. 

“C’mon, throw them up here; my treat,” Kuroo waved as he tossed the snacks in his arms onto the counter. 

“No, it’s okay, I can get them,” Bokuto shook his head. 

Kuroo sighed and snatched the snacks before Bokuto could react, and the man behind the counter rang them up before he could say anything against it. 

Shoyo ran up to the counter, meat buns held tight in his hands. 

“How many did you get, bud?” Kuroo asked as his son put them up onto the counter. 

“Five!” Shoyo said proudly. 

“There’s three of us, Shoyo. Shouldn’t you get six? That way we can all have two.” 

Shoyo pouted up at him. “But I want three of them.” 

Kuroo snorted. “I admire your math skills but you have to have real dinner. Keishin will kill me if I only feed you meat buns.” 

The clerk chuckled. “Damn right.” 

The boy folded his arms, his stubbornness shining through. “But I wan’em!” 

Kuroo sighed and knelt down to be eye level with his son. “Let’s make a deal, okay? I’ll let you get the five, but you can only eat _one_ tonight. If you’re good and go to bed on time, you can have another one tomorrow in your lunch and one for an after-school snack. That way you get all three like the little glutton you are, and me and Bokuto will each get one.” 

Shoyo slowly unfolded his arms and he and Kuroo did some kind of handshake that Bokuto had never seen before. Probably some kind of father-son thing. 

“Deal!” Shoyo smiled widely. 

“You spoil him too much, Tetsurou,” Keishin shook his head. 

“How can I not? Look at this face!” Kuroo gestured to Shoyo, whose eyes were glittering as he looked at the meat buns. 

Keishin handed the boy the buns and he immediately shoved one into his mouth. “You got me there,” he chuckled, taking Kuroo’s money and giving him the change. “By the way, who’s this friend you got here?” 

“Friend of Kenma’s, he’s a teacher that I’m screening to see if he’s worth to teach my son,” Kuroo laughed, looking over at Bokuto. “Anyway, see you next time, Keishin.” 

Bokuto grabbed the bags before Kuroo could. 

“Hey!” 

“You paid, the least I can do is carry the bags,” Bokuto shrugged as he followed Shoyo out the door. 

Kuroo sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. “Fine.” 

“You go there a lot, then?” Bokuto asked as they continued their journey to the apartment. 

“Yeah, the kid loves the meat buns from that place and _only_ that place. Keishin’s a good guy, too. Shoyo loves him. Don’t you, bud?” 

“Keishin’s real nice!” Shoyo said through a mouthful of a meat bun, somehow coherent. 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, child,” Kuroo chuckled, gently pushing the side of his son’s head. 

Shoyo stuck his tongue out and skipped ahead again. 

Kuroo shook his head and looked over at Bokuto. “He’s really a handful; you sure you want him in your class?” 

Bokuto hadn’t realized he’d been grinning until it grew wider at Kuroo’s question. “Of course. I mean... he’s obviously a really sweet kid, and you’re a really good dad. I don’t see him being a problem child like some.” 

Kuroo blinked before letting out a loud laugh. “I’m not... I mean... I’m trying my best to be a good dad, but...” He bit his lip, stuffing his hands in his pockets. 

“Kuroo,” Bokuto’s voice was serious and he put his hands on Kuroo’s shoulders to make him look at him, the bags in his hands swinging against Kuroo’s chest. “From what I've seen, _you are a good dad._ Not a lot of guys would rise up to the occasion of being a single dad. Obviously I don’t know why, nor do I need to, but Shoyo loves you. He babbled on about how cool you are when I was playing with him.” 

Kuroo smiled a little bit. “Really?” he asked quietly. 

“Yeah, dude, he looks up to you so much.” 

“Thanks for telling me that, Bokuto.” 

“Daddy! Come look!” Shoyo’s voice came from ahead of them. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming, Sho,” Kuroo wiped his misty eyes and trotted ahead where Shoyo was squatted looking at a slug. 

The rest of the walk to Kuroo’s apartment was pretty silent, Shoyo seemed to be getting tired, his feet dragging as Kuroo held his hand. 

“You want me to give you a piggy-back, bud?” Kuroo asked when he had to grab Shoyo to prevent him from falling on his face for the fifth time. 

“No!” Shoyo pouted, puffing out his cheeks. Both Bokuto and Kuroo clutched their hearts in endearment. 

“Too bad, you’re getting one,” he hoisted Shoyo onto his back and after about thirty seconds of struggling, the kid was out cold against his shoulder. 

Bokuto smiled at the sight. “Is it past his bedtime?” 

“Most definitely,” Kuroo rolled his eyes. “Most of the time I just let him tire himself out, but I try to get him in bed by eight. And, what, it’s almost nine by now?” 

“Almost, yeah. Listen, we’re both teachers, and since it’s Friday tomorrow, do you think we should postpone this... drinking night or whatever you want to call it? Y’know, be responsible adults and shit.” 

Kuroo sighed. “You’re probably right, but...” He smirked and his eyes took a mischievous glint. “It’s a holiday tomorrow. Did you forget?” 

Bokuto’s eyes widened. “Shit, I did!” 

“You still wanna postpone it?” 

“Hell no! Let’s drink the night away, my man!” 

They got to Kuroo’s apartment shortly after Bokuto’s declaration and Kuroo struggled to take the keys out of his pocket without dropping his son. 

“Hey, can you like... just grab the keys out of my pocket real quick?” Kuroo asked. “This kid has been getting heavy and I don’t want to jostle him too much just in case he wakes up.” 

“Oh, Kuroo, are we at this stage of our relationship _already?”_ Bokuto joked. “How scandalous! We only met today!” 

Kuroo snorted. “Bro, just grab my keys. They’re in my front left pocket. Though,” he wiggled his eyebrows playfully, “if you wanna cop a feel I’m not gonna complain.” 

Bokuto rolled his eyes and switched one of the bags to his other hand before grabbing the keys. He held them open in his hand for Kuroo to tell him which was the apartment key. 

“What, you scared you aren’t as big as me?” Kuroo snickered. “It’s the one that’s got red painted on it.” 

Bokuto shook his head in disbelief as he unlocked the door. “As if you would be bigger than me, dude. I bet the girl you were with found someone with a bigger dick and –” 

“Stop.” 

The force behind Kuroo’s voice made Bokuto freeze for a moment and when he turned around Kuroo’s eyes were narrowed with anger. 

“I’m going to put Shoyo to bed, make yourself comfortable,” his voice was hard as he walked down the hallway. 

Bokuto blinked and bit his lip, unsure of what to do. Obviously he’d accidentally stepped on a landmine, but he should’ve known better. Kuroo had even said not to bring up Shoyo’s mom in front of him, apparently even if he was asleep. He set the bags down on the counter and although Kuroo had said to make himself comfortable, he didn’t feel like it would be right. 

He fiddled with his fingers and stood near the front door just in case Kuroo told him to get out as soon as he came back out. 

After what felt like _hours,_ Kuroo came back out to the living room, running a hand through his hair. He’d changed into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. “Sorry for... that,” he said quietly, not looking Bokuto in the eyes. “I just...” 

“No, I’m sorry,” Bokuto waved his hands. “I was caught up in the banter and... didn’t think it through. I didn’t mean to stomp on that landmine.” 

“No, it’s fine, it’s just...” Kuroo sighed. He snorted when he realized Bokuto was standing by the door. “Sit down, you goof. I’m not going to let you off the hook for our drinking night that easily.” 

“Really?” Bokuto tentatively made his way over to the couch as Kuroo grabbed the beer and snacks from the bags. 

“Really, you dork. I mean, we’ve only known each other for what? Like six hours? But it feels like I’ve known you for a long time and... honestly I don’t really have any friends other than Kenma and Akaashi right now. So... finding you is kind of like... a godsend? Sorry, is that corny?” 

He handed Bokuto a beer and set the snacks on the coffee table before sitting on the opposite end of the couch, leaning against the armrest to put his feet on the cushion next to him. 

“It’s a little corny, dude, but... I mean, if you want more friends, I could always introduce you to some of mine,” Bokuto shrugged, taking a swig of his beer. 

Kuroo smiled. “That is literally the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me, Bokuto. But unless they also understand the responsibilities that come with having a kid, I doubt anything would come of it.” 

Bokuto cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean, when people find out I have a kid, they usually tend to ignore it and get super annoyed when I say no to going to a party. I _have_ to put Shoyo first. And as much as I hate it sometimes, I can’t be a ‘normal’ young adult, y’know? I have to be here for him.” He shook his head, taking a huge gulp of his beer. “I... I love him, I do. But... my life has been shit, bro.” 

Bokuto reached out and patted Kuroo’s knee awkwardly. “That’s rough, dude. Do you wanna talk about it?” 

“Sorry, I... I am way too sober right now. Do you wanna do your pitch for Fukurodani right now while I can still have a coherent conversation?” 

Bokuto snorted. “Really? We’re still going to say that this is a business meeting?” 

Kuroo shrugged. “Guess not, if you’re not considering it one anymore,” he smirked. 

“I mean, why not just get shitfaced and get to know each other better?” 

“Getting shitfaced is kind of a no-go for me, but if you want to, be my guest,” Kuroo gestured with his beer to the fridge where he’d put the others. “I would like to get to know you better, though.” 

“Same. Do you mind if I just ask you something, like, really personal?” 

“Go for it.” 

“What happened with Shoyo’s mom?” 

Kuroo nodded, resigned. “Of course that would be what you’d ask first.” 

“If you don’t wanna answer, it’s fine.” 

“No, no, it’s okay. What you said earlier is kinda true.” 

“What, she cheated on you?” 

Kuroo drank more of his beer. Bokuto noticed it was nearly gone already. “Kind of. It's not quite that simple, but I’m not drunk enough to recount the whole story. Honestly it still stings, and I'm still bitter about it. Maybe I'll tell you the whole story someday, but it's _messy._ Anyway, what’s the story of you and Akaashi?” 

“Oh! Well, there’s not a lot to tell, honestly. We were on the same volleyball team in high school and honestly how could I _not_ like him, he’s gorgeous! And... I was pretty obvious with my crush on him and we were just kinda coerced into dating each other by our teammates. There were a lot of firsts between us, but... nothing really came of it. And it just kinda came to a natural end.” 

Kuroo hummed, curling into himself at the edge of the couch. “Have you always been into guys?” 

“Yeah, I guess. I mean, I never really had a crush on anyone until Akaashi, honestly. What about you?” 

“Both. I dated Kenma for a while in high school.” 

“Oh, no way?!” 

“Yeah, we’ve been friends for forever, and we tried dating when Kenma got into high school. We never really were like a ‘couple’ though, now that I think about it. Whenever we went on ‘dates’ we hung out at each other's houses like best friends do. I don’t think we really knew what it meant to be boyfriends. So, it just fizzled out when I graduated high school. I moved, he wanted to focus on his studies, which I respected. We kept in contact, but... We’re still best friends and I love him as such.” 

“...Do you still have a little piece of you that wishes the two of you worked out?” Bokuto’s voice was quiet as he picked at the label on his beer bottle. 

“How’d you know?” 

“I wish me and Akaashi could’ve worked out, too. But... I guess we weren’t meant to be with them, huh?” he smiled sadly. 

“Guess so,” Kuroo agreed. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both mulling over their lost loves, when Bokuto asked, “You said you were twenty when Shoyo was born?” 

“Yeah.” 

“That’s so young to have a kid...” 

“Tell me about it,” Kuroo rolled his eyes. “My dad wasn’t helpful at all, not that I expected him to be. And asking my grandparents to help raise him didn’t feel right either, even though they practically raised me.” 

“Can I ask about your mom?” 

“She died when I was little. My dad worked overtime to take the edge off her death, so that’s why I was raised by my grandparents. What about you?” 

Bokuto laughed through his nose. “I had a boring, normal life. I grew up with both parents and an older and a younger sister.” 

“Middle child, huh?” 

“Yeah. Guess that’s why I'm so much of an attention whore now.” 

“How much older and younger are your sisters?” 

“Mitsuki is three years older than I am and Sakura is six years younger.” 

Kuroo blinked. “That’s a gap between you and your younger sister.” 

“Yeah. She’s a sweetheart, but it was kinda like she stole the role of youngest from me. We didn’t get along very well when we were little,” Bokuto chuckled. “But now she and I are pretty close. And she knows I like men.” 

Kuroo was quiet for a few moments. “Is your family homophobic?” 

“...Yeah. My mom is a stickler for perfection, so like... anything outside of what she considers ‘normal’ isn’t good enough. The only reason Sakura found out I’m gay is because she accidentally walked in on me and Akaashi making out. And then she told me a year later that she’s lesbian, so like... What a pair she and I make.” 

Kuroo smiled into the collar of his hoodie, and Bokuto realized he looked tired. 

“Bro, do you want me to leave?” 

“Hmm?” Kuroo blinked drowsily. “It’s only like, what, ten? Nah, let’s keep talking for a while.” 

Bokuto laughed. “No, I think I should probably go home. It’s been a bit of an exhausting day for you, I’m sure. You were outed as the best friend of the famous Kodzuken yesterday, after all.” 

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Kuroo groaned, rubbing his hands over his face. “I really don’t want to have to deal with that on Monday. And now everyone knows Shoyo’s my son.” 

Bokuto bit back the question that raised. Kuroo had dealt with enough today, and he didn’t want to overstay his welcome. “Yeah, I’ll let you get to bed, Kuroo. But we should do this again sometime. And maybe sometime we should take Sho to the park or something.” 

Kuroo smiled. “You really still want to hang out with me, even though I have a kid?” 

“Dude, of course. Your kid is just as fun as you. And if he joins my class, it’ll be even more fun.” 

“As far as I’m concerned, you passed the teacher test. I’ll see about enrolling him at Fukurodani.” 

Bokuto’s grin rivalled a thousand suns. “Thanks, Kuroo! I really hope I’ll see both you and Shoyo at orientation next year!” 

As soon as Bokuto left, Kuroo felt _cold._ It was like the life had gotten sapped out of him or something. He cleaned up the snacks that were mostly untouched and shoved them all into the fridge, regardless of if they needed it or not. He was going to just faceplant on his bed and conk out until Shoyo decided to wake him up in the morning. 


	4. Chapter 4

It felt like it had been two seconds since Kuroo had closed his eyes before his door squeaked open and he heard Shoyo’s voice say, “Daddy?” 

He struggled to open his eyes and lift his head. “Yeah? What’s up, bud?” he asked, his voice raspy. 

“I had a bad dream...” Shoyo’s voice sounded watery, like he was on the verge of tears. 

Kuroo forced his eyes open and flipped onto his side so he could see his son in the dim moonlight sifting through the blinds. “You wanna talk about it?” he asked as he gestured for Shoyo to come into the bed with him. 

The boy shot across the room, and he practically knocked the wind out of Kuroo when he smashed against him. He buried his face into Kuroo’s chest, his tiny arms trying to wrap around him. 

Kuroo gently rubbed Shoyo’s back, trying to soothe him as best he could. It was rare for Shoyo to come into Kuroo’s room seeking comfort from him. He was a smart kid, and he seemed to sense that Kuroo was stressed more often than not. But he was glad that Shoyo had come to him this time. 

“I dreamed... that you disappeared,” Shoyo sniffled. “And Bo, too.” 

Kuroo cooed softly, brushing his fingers through Shoyo’s hair. “I’m right here, Sho. I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Really?” Shoyo looked up at him with teary eyes. 

“Really. I’m always gonna be your dad and nothing’s gonna change that, okay?” He booped Shoyo’s nose and wiped the tears off his cheeks. “Let’s go to sleep now.” 

“Mmhmm.” Shoyo wiped his snotty nose on Kuroo’s shirt and was asleep within minutes. 

Kuroo smiled fondly and closed his eyes again. He kept his arm around Shoyo’s tiny body and curled around him protectively. He would do anything in his power to keep this small life away from anything that could hurt him. He’d be there for Shoyo no matter what. 

That’s what it meant to be a parent. 

… 

Shoyo, unsurprisingly, woke up before Kuroo did. He was awakened by the squirming boy in his arms, and gentle patting on his cheeks. 

“Daddy, wake up! It’s time for breakfast!” Shoyo smiled his thousand-watt smile that only a child could have in the morning. 

Kuroo groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes as he flipped onto his back. “What do you want, bud?” 

“Waffles!” Shoyo exclaimed. “Blueberry waffles!” 

“Mmm, I don’t think we have blueberries, Sho, but we can do waffles.” 

He didn’t have to look at Shoyo to know that he was pouting when he said, “But I want blueberries...” 

Kuroo sat up and stretched, releasing a loud yawn as he did so. “Well... I don’t exactly want to go to the store just to get blueberries, so... Ah! I know.” He swung his legs out of bed and playfully grabbed Shoyo’s ankles, holding him upside-down. 

Shoyo squealed with giggles, looking up at Kuroo. “Daddy, what are you doing?” 

“Let’s go see if our neighbors have gotten anything from their friend, huh?” 

He gently lowered Shoyo to the floor, the boy cushioning himself with his arms as he fell forward into a somersault. “Yay Unc-Haji!” he yelled, sprinting towards the front door. 

“Wait for me, Shoyo,” Kuroo called, throwing on a pair of sweatpants over his boxers. He might be a disaster, but he wasn’t about to run around in just his underwear, even if it was through their apartment building. Some of his elderly neighbors already judged him enough for being a single dad. 

Shoyo was bouncing on the balls of his feet in front of the door when Kuroo got to the living room. He let out a light laugh and unlocked the deadbolt, thankful that Shoyo seemed to have inherited his mother’s genes for lack of height. At least, for now. 

Shoyo zoomed down the hallway to apartment number 41 and knocked on the door as Kuroo moseyed over. The door opened and Shoyo raised his hands in joy. “Unc-Tooru!” he yelled. 

“Hey there, shorty!” Oikawa smiled, patting Shoyo’s head. “What brings you here?” 

Kuroo came up and waved. “Hey, Oikawa. Sorry to bother you so early.” 

“No problem, really,” Oikawa shook his head. “It’s always a pleasure to see a ray of sunshine in the morning. Plus, I was already awake.” 

It looked like he’d just gotten out of the shower; his hair was damp and he had a towel around his neck. Thankfully he was fully clothed. He was known to wander around his and Iwaizumi’s apartment in just a towel after a shower. Apparently he didn’t do that when he had to answer the door. 

“Thanks. By any chance have you gotten any blueberries from Ushiwaka?” 

Oikawa rolled his eyes. “Of course using my connections for fresh fruit is the only reason you come to visit me. Come in.” 

Shoyo quickly hugged Oikawa’s legs as he walked past and then squeaked in happiness. “Unc-Haji!” 

Kuroo followed and saw Oikawa’s boyfriend sitting at the table, a mug of coffee in his hand as he stared blearily into the distance. He seemed to snap out of it when Shoyo placed his hands on his thigh, clambering into his lap with no warning. 

“Morning to you, too, little man,” he laughed lightly. 

“Sorry, Iwa,” Kuroo smiled awkwardly. “Shoyo, you know better than that.” 

“It’s fine,” Iwaizumi shook his head, taking a long sip of his coffee. He wrapped an arm around Shoyo’s middle, hugging him lightly and bending over to put his cheek on top of Shoyo’s head. “I don’t mind this kid. It’s an adult who _acts_ like a kid I mind being around.” He glared at Oikawa as he walked to the coffee machine. 

“What?!” Oikawa started; his shoulders hunched. “You know you love me!” 

“I dunno,” Iwaizumi shrugged, speaking slightly into his mug. 

Kuroo rolled his eyes. This was exactly why he didn’t visit the two of them very often, even though they lived right down the hallway. They were so grossly in love but showed it in the weirdest ways. “ _Anyway,_ the reason we’re here. Shoyo wanted blueberry waffles for breakfast, but I don’t have any blueberries. Did you get any from Ushiwaka in his last care package or whatever that he sent you?” 

Iwaizumi snorted. “Oh boy, did we. He always sends us the most random shit. And I'm honestly surprised that he still does, considering how ungrateful a certain someone is.” 

“Hey, I never asked for him to start sending us random care packages,” OIkawa shot over his shoulder. “You want some coffee, Kuroo?” 

"Nah, thanks though. I’ll just make some when I get back home.” 

“Why don’t we just all make waffles together, though? We never get to have breakfast like this together because you always teach on weekdays and never wake up before noon on weekends! C’mon, let’s enjoy this!” Oikawa got a cup of coffee for Kuroo and set it on the table next to Iwaizumi. 

“I guess you’re right,” Kuroo sighed, sitting down. “Thanks.” 

“Of course! Now, Shoyo, do you want to help me make the waffle batter?” Oikawa asked the boy, giving Iwaizumi a look that Kuroo didn't like.

“Yeah!” Shoyo nearly leaped off of Iwaizumi’s lap and would have launched himself at Oikawa if Iwaizumi hadn’t caught him and let him down easily. 

“Calm down there, kid,” Iwaizumi chuckled lowly. “Don’t want you to hurt yourself.” 

Oikawa grabbed some waffle mix out of their food pantry and scooted a chair all the way around the dividing wall over to the counter for Shoyo to stand on. “Will you grab the milk for me, Shoyo?” he asked. 

“Yeah!” Shoyo hurried over to the fridge and Kuroo smiled as his son helped Oikawa prepare the waffle batter. 

“So, I've heard some gossip,” Iwaizumi said quietly to Kuroo. 

“Oh? What kind of gossip?” Kuroo sighed. Knowing it was Oikawa who had told him, it could be literally anything; Oikawa gossiped with anyone who would listen. 

"The true kind. Tooru heard that he-who-must-not-be-named is coming into town.” 

Kuroo's heart skipped a beat. Ah. That's why Oikawa had asked Shoyo to help him make the waffles. It was going to be _that_ kind of conversation.

“For what?” Kuroo’s eyebrows furrowed. “I thought he moved with her abroad. And... she’s with him still, isn’t she?” 

“I fucking hope you’re not asking that because you want to get back with her,” Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes at him. 

“No, of course not. But-” 

"No!" Iwaizumi leaned on the table and got into Kuroo’s personal space, pointing his finger way too close to Kuroo’s face. “Absolutely _no_ 'buts.' I swear to god, Kuroo, if you even _think_ about going to talk to her as if you’re going to get back with her, I will break your kneecaps. She wanted nothing to do with you _or_ Sho, and if you even think about letting her back into your life, or his, so help me _god_ I will light your stupid hair on fire.” 

“Jesus, Iwaizumi, I’m not, promise,” Kuroo waved his hands. “She’s off-limits, I know.” 

“She’s more than ‘off-limits’. She’s a bitch and she never deserved you. You know that, right?” 

“She’s not a bitch, Iwaizumi,” Kuroo sighed. “And honestly I just hope she’s happy with him.” 

“If breaking your heart and lying to you _constantly_ while she was supposed to be your girlfriend doesn’t constitute being a bitch to you, what does?” Iwaizumi shook his head.

“It wasn’t that, though. She’s really not a bitch. She just loved him more and –” 

"Kuroo, they're moving back," Iwaizumi stopped his rambling and Kuroo felt his heart drop to his stomach at that one sentence. "He's going to be a part of Tooru's team. The coach has no problem with him being a member. Tooru tried to file a complaint, but without anything concrete, he can't really do anything. We just thought we'd give you a head's up before you take Shoyo to his next game." 

Kuroo licked his suddenly dry lips, trying to figure out what to say. "Thanks. I wouldn't have been able to keep my cool if I'd been blindsided by that. I assume she'll be in the stands, cheering him on."

"No doubt. We'll do everything we can to prevent you from running into her, okay?" Iwaizumi patted his shoulder. “Moving on from that depressing subject, do you want Tooru to set you up with one of his other teammates? Because you know he will.” 

“What, are you looking for a boyfriend, Kuroo?!” Oikawa asked, butting into the conversation from where he stood at the stove, monitoring the waffle iron and Shoyo to make sure he didn't fall or burn himself. 

“No, I am _not,_ thank you very much,” Kuroo rolled his eyes. “We all know how well my last relationship went, since we were _just talking about it,_ and I don’t want to deal with something like that again.” 

“But if you find the right person, it wouldn’t end that way,” Oikawa shrugged. “I mean, look at me and my boyfriend.” He batted his eyes at Iwaizumi, who flipped him off. 

“Ah, yes, true love,” Kuroo snorted. 

Oikawa made sure Shoyo was fully invested in his waffle before he continued, “Besides, haven’t you had friends with benefits before, too? I’m sure some of the boys would be up for that.” 

“Oikawa, I haven’t done that since before Sho, and there’s no way I’m going to deal with it now. The last FWB I had ended badly.” 

“As badly as it did with her? Because I doubt it.” 

“Okay, no, but... I ghosted him.” 

Both of the men groaned and Iwaizumi even booed at him. 

“Are you serious?! That’s so lame!” Oikawa said. 

“I didn’t know what else to do! Cut me some slack!” Kuroo shook his head, drinking his coffee. “I was twenty and scared. And Sho came along, I couldn’t just continue to... do that.” 

“You could’ve at least let the guy know. Who knows, Sho might’ve had two dads instead of one,” Iwaizumi said quietly. 

“Whatever,” Kuroo rolled his eyes. 

“Daddy, do you want a waffle?” Shoyo asked from where he stood atop the chair, turning around and practically yelling. 

“Sure, bud,” Kuroo smiled. 

“Okay!” Shoyo took a plate that had a waffle that looked a bit burnt on it and stood on the chair for a moment, his brain freezing as he realized he couldn't hold the waffle _and_ jump off the chair like he usually did. 

“Here, I’ll hold onto it while you get down, Shoyo,” Oikawa said, gently taking the plate from the boy’s hands. 

Shoyo leaped off the chair with a mighty cry, which made all the men smile, and then grabbed the plate from Oikawa. He shot over to where Kuroo was and the pitter-patter of tiny feet against the hardwood floor put a huge smile on Kuroo's face. Shoyo put the plate in front of him, a megawatt smile on his face. “Enjoy, Daddy!” 

“I’m sure I will, thanks,” Kuroo ruffled his son’s hair. “Can I have a fork to eat it with, though?” 

“Oh, yeah!” Shoyo ran over to Oikawa, who was holding a fork and then walked back over to where Kuroo was. 

“Thank you for not running with a fork, Shoyo,” Kuroo said, kissing the top of his son’s head and appreciating that he hadn’t accidentally given him a heart attack. 

“You want one, Unc-Haji?” Shoyo’s eyes glittered as he looked over at Iwaizumi. 

“Sure, I’ll have one, Sho.” 

“I gotta go make it!” Shoyo climbed back onto the chair and “helped” Oikawa pour some more batter onto the waffle iron. He got more of it on the stovetop than on the iron, but Oikawa was patient with him. 

“Careful, Shoyo, you can’t bump the bowl too hard,” he said. 

Kuroo ate some of his lightly burned waffle and pointed his fork at Iwaizumi. “Let’s say you’re right and he might’ve had two dads. What would’ve happened if he’d asked why he didn’t have a mom? Apparently he’s already asked about that. Kenma told me. And I just... I just want him to be happy.” 

“And I think he is,” Iwaizumi shrugged. “I don’t think he needs to know anything about his mom right now. He may or may not eventually ask about her, but you deserve to be happy, too, y’know.” 

Kuroo blinked. “Shoyo is my top priority. Always.” 

It was true, even on the days when he was at school during his extra credit labs that no one came to, he was always thinking of ways to make Shoyo’s life better and how to be a better dad. 

The boy put a waffle-laden plate in front of Iwaizumi, with a fork on it this time. “Here, Unc-Haji!” 

“Thanks, Shoyo,” Iwaizumi ruffled his hair. 

“Do you want one, Unc-Tooru?” Shoyo asked as he looked up at Oikawa with bright eyes as he climbed onto the chair again. 

“No thanks, Sho, but I think we need to make one for you.” He booped Shoyo’s nose and the boy gasped. 

“Yeah!” 

Kuroo smiled at the exchange. “Have you two ever thought of having kids?” he asked Iwaizumi. 

“Hell no. I mean... neither of us are home very often,” he shrugged. “I don’t think we’d be good parents. We’ll stick to the role of doting uncles. Why?” He raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t get another girl pregnant again, did you?” 

“God, no!” Kuroo nearly choked on the waffle crisp he had in his mouth. “No! Jesus Christ, I was just asking. I haven’t gotten laid since Shoyo was born; since my last FWB.” 

“Thanks for telling me something I didn’t ask to know, nor did I ever _want_ to know,” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. 

“Might I remind you, there is a _child_ present?!” Oikawa nearly screeched. 

Kuroo glanced over to see him covering Shoyo’s ears, and the boy looked confused, since he'd most likely been too engrossed in his waffle-making to hear what they were saying. 

Iwaizumi and Kuroo couldn’t help the laughs that escaped their mouths. "You're the one who took him all the way over there," Kuroo pointed out.

Oikawa just huffed, pulling away from Shoyo.

“You utter brutes,” he shook his head. “Here’s your waffle, Sho, go sit by your Daddy and eat.” 

“Kay!” Shoyo danced over to where Kuroo was sitting and stared for a moment, trying to figure out how to climb onto the chair without dropping his breakfast. One would think after this dilemma had happened multiple times this morning, he'd get a handle on it, but learning was a process. 

Kuroo let him figure it out himself, smiling when Shoyo put the plate on the table before getting up to kneel on the chair so he'd be able to reach the table. He squirmed in excitement as he dug into his waffle. 

Oikawa sat across from Kuroo, next to Iwaizumi and held his boyfriend’s hand as he drank from his coffee mug. “So what are your plans for today, Kuroo?” 

“Well, I have today off. So I'm going to spend it with Sho, obviously. I don’t really want to go visit Kenma and Akaashi just in case they’re doing wedding planning or whatever.” 

It was a good thing Oikawa had swallowed a second earlier, or he would’ve spat his coffee all over Kuroo. 

He coughed, though, the shock to his system a bit much for him to handle. “I’m sorry, _excuse me?!_ Akaashi and Kozume are _engaged_ and I’m just now learning about it?! _From you?!_ ” 

Iwaizumi also looked a bit shocked by the news. 

Kuroo looked down into his nearly empty coffee mug. “Sorry you had to hear it from me. I guess you guys don’t watch Kenma’s streams. He announced it on Wednesday. Along with me being Shoyo’s dad, which...” He let out a sigh. “Is something I’m gonna have to deal with on Monday at school. And! Guys, he told his millions of viewers that we’re best friends! Which, I mean, yeah, we are, but ugh.” 

“He didn’t say you were exes, though, did he?” Oikawa pointed out. 

“No, thank god. It would’ve been a million times worse if he had.” 

“It’s not like everyone in the whole world watches his channel, though, right? Why is this a terrible thing?” Iwaizumi asked. 

“Because probably half of the student body at my school watches his channel? And I keep a picture of Sho on my desk.” Kuroo ran a hand through his hair before taking another sip of his coffee. “Anyway, you guys could go congratulate them if you want, but I think I’m going to go take this kid out to the park.” 

Shoyo lightened up at that idea. “Yeah! Daddy, let’s have a picnic!” 

He chuckled. “Well, guess that’s my plan for the day. Thanks for having us over for breakfast, guys. We should do this again soon, yeah?” 

Kuroo finished off his coffee and stood up, going to take his dishes to the sink and wash them himself. 

“Just leave them in the sink. We’ll get them in a while when we clean up,” Iwaizumi said, getting out of his chair to walk them to the door. 

Shoyo was buzzing with energy at the prospect of going to the park; he loved it there. 

“Thanks again, Iwaizumi,” Kuroo said as they gave each other soft hugs. 

“Of course. You know you’re always welcome over here, right? Tooru adores Shoyo, and honestly if you ever wanted to hang out with him again, he would be over the moon.” 

“Yeah, I know,” Kuroo nodded. Sure, Kenma was his best friend, but Oikawa was a close second. They hadn’t hung out, just the two of them, much since Shoyo was born, and Kuroo _did_ miss it. “I’ll try to figure something out and maybe we can make it happen...” 

“He’d love it,” Iwaizumi nodded. “Bye, Shoyo!” he waved as the boy stood right outside the door, waiting for his dad. 

“Bye, Unc-Haji!” he waved back, pulling at Kuroo’s hand. 

“Yes, yes, let’s go get ready for the picnic, son,” Kuroo rolled his eyes. “Bye, Oikawa!” he called into the apartment. 

“Come over anytime, Kuroo!” Oikawa yelled back, and Kuroo was so glad he had friends like them. 


	5. Chapter 5

When they got back to the apartment after breakfast, Kuroo told Shoyo to go play with his toys. He, after all, had some homework to grade, as well as work on his lesson plans for the next week. He always worked out in the living room, just in case Shoyo needed him. 

The boy was a bundle of energy, of course, and kept coming out to the living room and playing with his toys out there. Kuroo never minded the company of his son, though. 

“Hey, Shoyo, do you want to go to school so Bokuto can be your teacher?” he asked while Shoyo was crawling around on the floor. 

“Yeah! Bo’s real nice and fun!” Shoyo grinned. 

“I see...” Kuroo nodded. “I did want you to go to Nekoma but... if you like Bokuto, then I don’t see a reason to force you to go to a different school.” He did want the best for his son, but he also wanted Shoyo to be comfortable around teachers. 

Not that he thought his son would ever be uncomfortable around anyone. Shoyo could make friends with anyone in a matter of minutes. It was one thing Kuroo hoped he’d never grow out of. 

"Daddy, I’m hungry,” Shoyo complained. 

“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” Kuroo said, putting his hands on his knees as he got up from the couch. “Do you want to help me make our lunches for the park?” 

“Yeah!” Shoyo immediately sprinted to the counter, bouncing. 

“I bet you want a snack first, don’t you?” 

As if in answer, the boy’s stomach growled. 

“Yes, please...” Shoyo said bashfully. 

“There’s a meat bun in the fridge, just for you.” 

The boy’s face lit up immediately and as soon as he opened the fridge, the meat bun was in his mouth and he practically inhaled it in two bites. Kuroo was amazed at how much his son loved meat buns, but he wasn’t about to deprive him of something that brought him such joy. 

"Let’s get these lunches prepped, shall we?” Kuroo said, but Shoyo had run off back to the living room after eating his meat bun. Kuroo nodded. “Alright, guess I’ll get these done myself.” 

He made some rolled omelets, hamburger steaks, little hot dogs cut up to look like octopus, just the typical stuff to go into a bento. 

After putting the bentos together, he threw everything into a bigger bag and left it on the counter to go change his clothes. “Hey, Sho, come pick out your clothes for today, yeah?” he called. 

“Kay!” Shoyo flew to his room and came back out wearing a t-shirt with a kitten on it and some shorts in record time. 

Kuroo hadn’t even gotten to his own bedroom to change. “Looks good, bud. Keep playing in the living room, I’ll be back out in a second,” he said. 

Kuroo wasn’t a fashionista by any means, but he always liked to look his best, even when just going to the park. He decided that a red V-neck short sleeve and some fashionably ripped black jeans would look good for a day out at the park. He threw on some red high-top chucks that matched his shirt and looked at his reflection in his full-length mirror. His hair was a disaster, as usual, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. He wasn't trying to impress anyone, anyway. Not like he _could._

He was finally ready to go, but first he had to grab something. Shoyo was really into soccer, and Kuroo had bought him a soccer ball for his last birthday. He’d had to put it up on the top shelf of the closet so Shoyo couldn’t break a window or something because the kid loved playing with it. 

“Okay, Sho, are you ready to go to the park?” Kuroo asked as he grabbed the soccer ball and, while he was at it, a blanket for them to sit on. 

“Yeah! Let’s go!” Shoyo smiled so wide Kuroo thought his face would crack, and honestly it was the cutest thing he’d ever seen. 

“Would you grab the bag on the counter for me, kiddo?” he asked as Shoyo ran up to him. 

The boy turned around to the kitchen and Kuroo hoped he’d be able to reach the bag, now that he thought about it. 

When he got to the front door, Shoyo was standing there, bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

“I’ll trade you,” Kuroo said, grabbing the bento bag and putting the ball in Shoyo’s hands. 

The boy’s eyes grew wide and he started vibrating with excitement. 

Kuroo smiled and patted Shoyo’s head before opening the door. “And, to the park we go!” 

Shoyo held onto the ball with his tiny hands and started singing about soccer and how much he loved playing as they walked to the train station, as the park was too far of a walk. 

When they got on the train, Shoyo insisted that he could stand by himself. Thankfully the train crowd was light when they got on, so Kuroo sat down and put Shoyo in his lap. He held his arms around his son’s middle and stared out the window while Shoyo played with the ball in his hands. 

“We’re here, Sho, are you ready to play?” he asked as soon as they got to the park a short walk away from the station. Shoyo sprinted off onto the field where some other kids already were, and Kuroo chuckled. “Stay where I can see you, remember!” he called after his son. 

“Okay, Daddy!” Shoyo yelled back. 

Kuroo smiled and shook his head as he spread the blanket out and sat down on it. He put on his sunglasses and pulled out the book he’d brought along. Sure he had other things to do, but honestly nothing beat sitting outside under a tree, reading a book, and avoiding the dark thoughts that had been plaguing his mind since breakfast that morning. 

But now that he wasn’t busy doing anything, his mind had free rein to just wander. And of course it wandered to the conversation he’d had with Iwaizumi, and his ex. He was _terrified_ of seeing her again, if he was being honest. A part of him knew deep down that, no matter what she’d done, no matter how much damage she’d inflicted upon him, he _missed_ her. She’d been such a big part of his life for a long time, and all his friends had told him that she was a snake, but he’d never listened. 

The only reason they’d broken up was because Kuroo had told her not to abort the baby and, although she’d listened, she’d gone off with another man to another country. And now, they were coming back. 

He sighed as he gave up trying to focus on his book. He wasn’t taking in anything, so he just pulled his knees to his chest and curled his arms around them as he looked out at his son. Shoyo was playing with some other kids; a taller lanky blond kid and another who was about Shoyo’s height with long-ish dark brown hair. 

He hoped that Shoyo would never have to deal with the backlash of his mother moving back, but if she pressed charges, he supposed he’d have to let her be a part of his life. Along with her boyfriend. The thought made Kuroo sick to his stomach; he didn’t think that the two of them would be very good parents, if he was honest. They were both dishonest and as far as he understood, neither of them cared about the wellbeing of the child that she’d carried for nine months. That’s why they’d left right after he’d been born. She’d seemed so... unconcerned. 

He wrapped his arms tighter around himself as he thought back to the way her eyes had held nothing but contempt for Shoyo when he’d come out of her body. She hadn’t even wanted to hold him. Kuroo had immediately wanted to hold the miracle of life, and he’d even had the privilege to name him. That’s why he’d named him “Shoyo.” He wanted his child to be as bright as the sun in the sky, and fly to heights he couldn’t imagine. 

He was so caught up in his head that he didn’t hear panting coming up from beside him until it was too late. 

A huge Akita Inu bowled Kuroo over, sending him sprawling with a yelp. The dog made itself comfortable on his chest and started licking him all over his face, which he didn’t mind at all; he loved dogs. He laughed as the dog kissed away all the tears he hadn’t realized he’d been crying, which he was grateful for. That way he wouldn’t have to wipe them away himself. 

“Tawny!” a voice yelled, footsteps coming closer. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, she usually isn’t like this, I promise!” 

The dog was yanked off of him and Kuroo laughed. “No worries, I –” he stopped when he saw who the owner was. “Bokuto?” 

Bokuto’s eyes shot up to Kuroo, his hands grasping his dog’s collar. “Kuroo! Hi! I... Sorry Tawny started attacking you with kisses, I don’t even know if you like dogs.” 

“No worries, I love dogs.” 

“Oh, good. She just kinda went crazy when she saw you; I'd never seen her like that before.” He leaned down and said to her, “Are you going to be a good girl?” When he slightly loosened his grip on her collar, she whined and made a move toward Kuroo. “No! Sit.” She huffed but sat as commanded. “Good girl. Now, stay.” 

He released her collar and although she kept her eyes toward Kuroo, she stayed. 

“I’ve never seen you here before,” Bokuto said, and Kuroo noticed he was out of breath. He was wearing running tights and a tank top, which he lifted up to wipe the sweat off his forehead. 

It was a good thing Kuroo was sitting down because _damn_ Bokuto had abs for days. Also that tank top accentuated his muscled arms way too well for Kuroo’s brain to function. 

He shook his head get his thoughts away from the dangerous ones he was having; Shoyo came first over everything, especially Kuroo’s horniness. “Yeah, it’s been a while since I came here with the kiddo,” he gestured with his chin toward the field where Shoyo was. It looked like he was still getting along well enough with the other kids. Two other kids seemed to have joined their little soccer game. One with spiky light brown hair and another that seemed to hang back shyly, with shiny black hair parted in the middle. 

“Oh, you’re here with Shoyo?” Bokuto asked. 

Kuroo blinked and looked up at Bokuto. “No, I just come here to creep on little kids in my spare time. Of course I came here with my son, dumbass.” 

Bokuto laughed. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant. It’s just a nice park, so I come here all the time to run and clear my head. Tawny here keeps me company. When she’s not tackling random unsuspecting people.” He leaned down and ran his hands all over her face and spoke with a bit of baby talk to her. He looked back over to Kuroo. “Though, you did look really lost in your thoughts when she tackled you.” 

Kuroo sighed. “Yeah, guess I was.” 

Bokuto fidgeted for a moment, as did his dog. Pets really did take after their owners. “Do you wanna talk about it? I mean, not to pry or anything, but...” 

Kuroo patted the spot on the blanket next to him once, forcefully. 

Bokuto grinned and flopped down next to him, crossing his legs. “Tawny, free,” he said. 

The dog immediately made her way over to Kuroo and curled up at his side. Kuroo appreciated the weight against him and scratched her head before moving to her side. 

“I see how it is,” Bokuto pouted at his dog before looking up at Kuroo. “But maybe you need Tawny cuddles more than I do.” 

Kuroo blinked, hoping Bokuto hadn’t seen that he’d been crying. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“She’s an empathy dog. I guess she sensed that you were really distressed. Doesn’t explain why she singled you out though, cause I’m sure we’ve passed plenty of stressed people over the time that I’ve had her and she’s never done anything like that before.” He gasped. “Or maybe she’s trying to set us up like the dogs did in 100 Dalmatians!” 

Kuroo snorted so loud he was surprised it didn’t echo throughout the park. “First of all, it’s _101_ Dalmatians. And secondly, _what?_ As if that would happen in real life. Besides, wouldn’t we have to fall into a pond for that to work?” 

Bokuto shrugged and held up his hands. “I dunno, man, just saying. She’s usually really well behaved. And she seems to have taken a liking to you. Like, to a weird degree.” 

Tawny licked Kuroo’s hand as if to emphasize Bokuto’s point. 

_“See?”_

Kuroo rolled his eyes. “Dogs are always drawn to people who have sparkling personalities.” 

“Sure, we’ll go with that.” 

They were silent for a moment before Kuroo sighed. “I found out today that my ex is moving back here with her boyfriend soon. My ex, as in Shoyo’s mom.” 

“Oh. Damn.” 

“Yeah. And like... she didn’t want anything to do with him. She wanted to get an abortion as soon as she found out she was pregnant.” 

Bokuto’s eyes widened. “Damn, I can see why you don’t want her brought up in front of him.” 

“Yeah, like I said last night, it’s fucking messy. And, to make matters a million times worse, her boyfriend is joining the volleyball team one of my friends is on. That’s how I found out. And I... I thought that I’d never have to see her again, you know?” Kuroo felt himself getting way too emotional. He wasn’t comfortable being this open about his former relationship, especially around someone he’d just met. 

Usually. But Bokuto was different. It was like they just had some kind of connection that Kuroo couldn’t put his finger on. 

“That’s rough. I don’t really know what that’s like, and I can’t even imagine what that must feel like.” Bokuto pulled his legs up to his chest, like Kuroo had been sitting when Tawny had tackled him. “I’m sorry that your ex was so shitty.” 

Kuroo barked out a laugh. “That’s not even scratching the surface of all the shitty things she did to me, but you’ve got to up your friend level if you want to unlock my tragic backstory.” 

“What, after not even twenty-four hours of friendship, I’m not on a high enough level?” Bokuto put his hand on his chest playfully. “I am _wounded._ I can’t imagine how long I’d have to be your friend to get to that level.” 

“I mean, I can’t imagine you _wanting_ to be my friend to get to that level, I’ve been friends with Kenma since we were kids and he still doesn’t know the whole story.” 

“Why not?” 

The question startled Kuroo. “What?” 

“I mean, he’s your best friend, right? So why doesn’t he know the whole story?” 

“It’s not that simple.” 

Bokuto shrugged. “Is there a reason you don’t tell him?” 

Kuroo buried his fingers into Tawny’s thick fur. “I don’t...” 

“Bo!!!” Shoyo’s yell broke the tension of the conversation and Kuroo couldn’t have been more grateful. He’d been teetering on the precipice of an epiphany he didn’t want to have. 

“Hey, Shoyo!” Bokuto waved, leaning back onto his hands to assume a more relaxed position. 

“Daddy, you wanna come play with me?” Shoyo asked, breathless from playing. 

“Not right now, bud. I think we should have lunch first, yeah?” Kuroo said, shifting to grab the bag the bentos were in. 

Tawny whined, and Shoyo seemed to finally notice her. “Doggy!” He zoomed to Kuroo’s other side and began to pet her. 

She quickly started licking at his hands and stretching so he could reach more to pet. He laughed and nuzzled his face into her thick fur before Kuroo could stop him. Tawny took it like a champ and didn’t even flinch. 

Kuroo looked over at Bokuto, impressed. He shrugged. “She’s always been a good dog around kids. I think she realizes how much stronger she is than they are, and she’s gentle with them.” 

“She’s not gentle around emotionally unstable adults, though,” Kuroo shook his head. 

“Hey, she’s cuddling with you right now.” 

“Yeah, after she knocked me all the way over.” 

“Did you get a doggy, Daddy?” Shoyo asked, bringing his face out of Tawny’s side, and she started licking his face all over. 

“No, this is Bokuto’s dog.” 

“Her name’s Tawny,” Bokuto smiled. “Why don’t you get a dog, though, Kuroo? They're great!” 

“Yeah, I know, but –” 

“Can we get a doggy?!” Shoyo suddenly asked, looking up at Kuroo. 

“Eat your lunch, Shoyo, and then we’ll talk about maybe getting a dog,” Kuroo rolled his eyes. 

For some reason getting a dog _scared him._ He loved them, they were amazing companions, but... owning a dog? It was different than having a kid. But... in many ways it was the same. 

Tawny set her head on Kuroo’s lap, looking up at him with big brown eyes. He stared down at her. “Don’t you dare look at me like that,” he muttered, scratching her behind her ears. “I don’t need pity from a damn dog.” 

She huffed and adjusted herself so her whole front half was laying across his lap, and the warmth and weight over him she provided was calming. He ran his hands over her back and sighed before curling his fingers into fists, the thick fur bending into his palms. “Maybe I _should_ get a dog...” he muttered to himself. 

Shoyo was sharing his lunch with Bokuto, sitting in his lap. “Say ‘ah!’” Shoyo said, holding one of the octopus hot dogs up to Bokuto’s mouth. 

“Ahhh!” Bokuto opened his mouth and chomped down on the food. “Mmm!!! It’s so good!” he exaggerated. “Did your dad make these bentos, Shoyo?” 

“Yeah! He’s a real good cook!” Shoyo said through a mouthful of one of the hamburger steaks. 

Kuroo’s hands tightened even more around Tawny’s fur as he looked at the two of them, and she lifted her head to look up at him. “Ah, sorry, girl,” he said softly, unclenching his fists and smoothing down her fur. “I just had a thought I’m not ready for.” 

He shook his head and reached over to grab the other bento. He started to eat it, trying to focus on anything but the thoughts circling through his head. 

He barely knew Bokuto, how could he expect the other man to have these same weird feelings about him? He knew what he was feeling, but he _refused_ to put a name to it. There was no way he was going to do that to Shoyo. His son was always first priority. 

“Kuroo, are you okay?” Bokuto asked, bumping his shoulder with Kuroo’s. 

“Huh?!” Kuroo immediately snapped back to the present, startling Tawny. “Yeah, I’m... I’m fine, sorry. Just kinda tired. I didn’t really get enough sleep last night, honestly.” 

“You gotta take care of yourself, dude.” 

“Daddy, have some more lunch!” Shoyo held some of the rolled omelet from his bento up to Kuroo’s mouth. “You need it more than me!” 

Kuroo sighed. If he was making his son worry, he must be really bad at acting. He had to get himself under control. He took the offered rolled omelet but took a small hamburger steak out of his own bento and put it into Shoyo’s. “Thanks, bud, but you’re still growing, you need to eat more than I do.” 

Shoyo pouted a little, but Kuroo knew it was an act. The kid really liked hamburger steaks. 

“Once you’re finished with your bento, you can go and play for another hour, okay?” Kuroo said. “And then we should head home before it gets dark.” 

At the promise of being able to play more, Shoyo scarfed down the rest of his lunch, said a quick, “Thanks, Daddy!” and was on his way back out to the field with his soccer ball. 

“He likes to play soccer, huh?” Bokuto asked, leaning on his hands. 

“Yeah, he’s pretty good at it, too. He’s got natural athletic ability.” 

“Would you mind if I taught him volleyball sometime?” 

Kuroo blinked. “You say that like you’re going to be spending a lot of time with him.” 

“Aren’t I? I mean...” Bokuto sighed. “Sorry, I just... I guess it’s too soon for us to have a ‘real friendship,’ huh? We have known each other less than a day.” 

“That’s not what I meant. Sorry.” 

They sat in an awkward silence, and Tawny whined as she looked between the two of them. 

“See, I think she wants us to love each other,” Bokuto chuckled. 

Kuroo laughed through his nose. “As if. I have Shoyo to look after. And I have to deal with the fact that my ex is coming back and I have to be in the same space as her. And I have midterms coming up; I’ve got to write the goddamn tests. And I have to find a babysitter for Shoyo in a month when Kenma and Akaashi go to that gamer convention.” He sighed. “I have too much on my plate; the last thing I need is a relationship.” 

Bokuto abruptly got up. “Well, I should probably get back to my run. I’ll see you later, Kuroo.” 

Kuroo’s heart clenched at the thought of being left alone with his thoughts again. “Wait, Bokuto, I...” 

“Tawny, heel,” Bokuto clicked his tongue and his dog was immediately by his side and they both trotted off. 

Kuroo bit his lip as he watched them run away, a hole in his chest. He shook his head to get himself under control. He didn’t need a relationship. He didn’t _want_ one. He didn’t want to deal with the heartache and drama that all relationships had caused him in the past. He didn’t want to fall for a friend and have it end like his relationship with Kenma had. 

At the thought of Kenma, his heart clenched again. He’d never told Kenma that he was still in love with him, not that he expected it would change anything. And he really didn’t want to make his best friend uncomfortable. Especially now that he was engaged to Akaashi. 

He was thrown back into reality when he heard his son scream bloody murder. He ran faster than he ever thought possible, it felt like he’d teleported. 

“Shoyo, what happened?!” he demanded, looking over his son for injuries. 

He immediately found the blood spilling from Shoyo’s mouth and nose, and his paternal instincts kicked in more than he’d felt before. “What. Happened?” he growled at the two other kids; apparently the others had already left. 

The tall blond one did look like he wasn’t scared of Kuroo, whereas the one with dark brown hair and freckles was cowering behind him. “He got hit in the face,” the blond said. 

“By what? The ball? Or your fist?” 

The boy shrugged. “The ball, obviously. I wouldn’t punch anyone, I'm not that lame.” 

Kuroo’s eyes narrowed. There was something about this kid he didn’t like. 

“Kei! Tadashi!” a silver-haired man came running up to them, panic in his eyes. “Oh my god, what happened?!” he asked as soon as he saw Shoyo covered in blood. 

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Kuroo pursed his lips. 

“Daddy, I lost a tooth!” Shoyo said, his voice garbled through the blood in his mouth. He smiled, holding out his palm that had one of his bottom teeth in it. 

Kuroo sighed. “Well, at least that explains the screech.” He shook his head. “You didn’t even tell me you had a loose tooth.” 

“I forgot!” Shoyo said, still beaming. 

“Sorry for the panic,” Kuroo bowed to the silver-haired man. 

“No worries, I was scared something more serious had happened.” He cocked his head to the side. “Do I know you from somewhere, by the way?” 

“Uh...” Kuroo looked at him, and a vague sense of familiarity came over him, but he couldn’t place it. “I used to come to this park more often, but it’s been a while since I’ve been here.” 

“Oh, maybe that’s it. Anyway, you should probably get home and get the blood of the kid’s clothes before it stains.” 

“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry again for the trouble.” He took Shoyo in his arms and carried him to the abandoned picnic blanket. He quickly cleaned up and made his way to the station. 

Then he realized he didn’t really want to take the train with a blood-soaked child. Taxi it is. 

Thankfully Shoyo was quiet, probably tired from the excitement of the day and losing a tooth. The taxi driver either didn’t notice the blood all over Shoyo or didn’t care, because he didn’t ask questions. Maybe it was against taxi driver rules or something, Kuroo didn’t know. 

Thankfully traffic wasn’t bad so they got home in a reasonable amount of time. 

Kuroo just wanted to collapse into his bed, but he needed to take care of Shoyo first. And honestly, a warm bath sounded really nice. “Hey, bud, you wanna take a bath together?” he asked. 

Shoyo gasped. “Yeah!” 

“Go get it started for me, will you? I’m going to put this stuff away.” 

Shoyo walked to the bathroom, the usual pep in his step gone. He must’ve had a hell of a time today, running around with the other kids with his... 

_Soccer ball._

Kuroo didn’t have it. Shit. He’d gotten so distracted with Shoyo losing his tooth that he’d completely forgotten. Hopefully the silver-haired guy had taken it by mistake or something. He _really_ hoped that. 

He heard the bath water running and sighed. Well, he could deal with it another day. Shoyo was tired, he was tired, they could just relax together for a while and take it easy. 

When he got to the bathroom, Shoyo was already naked, which he chuckled a little bit at. “Usually people take their clothes off only right before getting into the bath, bud. But I suppose we should soak your shirt so it doesn’t stain. You like this shirt, right?” 

Shoyo shrugged. “I guess.” 

Kuroo went over to the sink and filled it up with water before dunking Shoyo’s shirt into it. 

“Bath’s ready, Daddy,” Shoyo said, leaning over the tub. 

“Before we get in, what kind of bath salts do you want? Lavender? Vanilla? Maybe citrus?” He let Shoyo smell the bath salts to help him decide. 

“This one!” Shoyo pointed to the vanilla. 

“Alright, in it goes,” Kuroo dumped some of the bath salt into the tub and swirled it around with his hand. “And you come with me to the shower to rinse off before we climb into the tub.” 

He stripped down and helped his son wash off the crusty blood around his nose, as well as the grime and sweat from playing all day. As soon as they were both clean, they climbed into the bath together. 

Shoyo played with some toy boats as Kuroo relaxed against the tub, basking in the warmth the water provided and the scent of vanilla. He cupped water into one of his hands and let it fall over his arm, loving the soothing sensation. 

“Daddy, why don’t I have a mommy?” Shoyo suddenly asked. 

Kuroo nearly choked on his spit. “Where did that come from, all of a sudden?” 

“Kei said that his mom was coming to pick him and Tadashi up, and when I said I don’t have a mom, he made fun of me.” 

Kuroo sighed. Well, this conversation had come up way sooner than he wanted. How the hell was he supposed to tell his six-year-old that his mom didn’t want him and absconded away with another man, leaving him? He hadn’t prepared an answer that wouldn’t be a lie, and he didn’t want to keep something like that from Shoyo. 

“Your mom... she went far away.” 

“Did you love her?” 

Kuroo’s heart lurched at the question. _Had_ he loved her? He’d thought he did, at the time. That’s why he’d stuck with her, even though she’d... 

He bit his lip. All these epiphanies of how toxic his relationship had been kept popping up today, and he hated it. He didn’t want to deal with the demons of his past right now. So he decided to go with a truthful answer. 

“I love you more than I ever loved her, Shoyo.” He hugged his son and nuzzled his damp hair. “And nothing’s ever going to change that. Because I love you so much. Don’t forget that, okay?” 

“Okay, Daddy,” Shoyo agreed, wrapping his arms around Kuroo’s neck. “But can we get out now? I’m all wrinkly.” 

Kuroo laughed. “Sure, bud,” he grabbed fluffy towels and wrapped one all the way around Shoyo. “Go grab some pajamas from your room and change into them after you dry off, okay?” 

“Kay!” Shoyo smiled and went to his room to change. 

Kuroo toweled off his hair and looked in the mirror. When his hair was damp, it hung down in front of his eyes and he almost didn’t recognize himself. He brushed it to the side and let out a long sigh. Why would he ever think that there could be a chance for Bokuto to be attracted to him, anyway? He was average-looking, his hair was always a mess, _and he had a son._ Bokuto deserved someone without that kind of baggage. 

And honestly, why did he _care?_ He had his friends; he didn’t need a romantic relationship. Shoyo always came first. 

“Daddy, are you going to come read me a story?” Shoyo yelled from his room. 

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a second, kiddo!” Kuroo called back, fully drying himself off and wrapping the towel around his waist. 

He threw on a loose t-shirt and some sweat pants over boxers before making his way to Shoyo’s room. He saw the light on his phone flashing, but he had to read Shoyo’s bedtime story before he could check it. 

The kid was asleep before Kuroo even got three pages into the story, which was impressive considering it was a picture book. 

He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of Shoyo’s head. “Good night, buddy.” 

He grabbed his laptop from his room before making his way out to the living room and his phone. He plopped down onto the sofa with a beer and unlocked his phone. 

His blood ran cold when he saw the text from an unknown number. 

_‘I want to see my son that you stole from me.’_


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter follows Bokuto after he leaves Kuroo at the park, taking place at the same time as last chapter.

_“I have too much on my plate; the last thing I need is a relationship.”_

The second after those words left Kuroo’s mouth, Bokuto felt himself jump up, not wanting to acknowledge the stab he felt in his heart. “Well, I should probably get back to my run. I’ll see you later, Kuroo.” 

Kuroo visibly tensed, and, in the smallest voice Bokuto had ever heard him use, said, “Wait, Bokuto, I...” 

Bokuto was already walking away. He clicked his tongue at his dog and called out, “Tawny, heel.” 

The Akita was by his side in an instant and Bokuto started jogging back towards the apartment he shared with his little sister. He wasn’t ready to admit that the sting in his heart was because he was attracted to Kuroo. After all, who wouldn’t be? He was a handsome guy, and the fact that he cared for his son by himself was honestly a great attribute. 

Apparently Kuroo didn’t seem to think that. If anything, it seemed like Kuroo thought of Shoyo as some kind of baggage. Granted, a kid is a deal breaker for some people, but Bokuto loved kids; that’s why he was an elementary school teacher. There wasn’t any reason for Kuroo to think that Shoyo would be a deal breaker in any way for him. 

Maybe Kuroo just didn’t see him that way. 

Bokuto let out a laugh at the thought. That was probably it. Kuroo thought that he was too much, like most people did. Despite the fact that Akaashi had been his first boyfriend, first kiss, first blowjob, first time having sex... They hadn’t worked out. Bokuto suspected it was because he’d been too smothering, trying to keep a relationship going even though they were hours apart. 

Akaashi had wanted to date other people during his last year of high school. And he’d eventually found the love of his life, which Bokuto was happy for. He and Kenma were a good match; they both had anxieties that Bokuto could never really understand. And both of them were really, really smart. Bokuto felt a little inadequate when he was around them sometimes. 

As soon as he got home, he flopped facedown onto the couch with a groan, whether out of frustration or tiredness from his run, he wasn’t sure. Tawny nudged his hand with her nose, whining a little bit. 

“Yes, yes, I’ll feed you in a second. Let me wallow in my sadness for a minute,” he grumbled, his face pressed into the couch pillow. 

“Oh, Koutarou, you’re home,” Sakura said, coming into the living room and as she was putting on earrings. “What happened to you?” 

He looked up at her with teary eyes before noticing how she was dressed. “Wow, you look really nice! Where are you off to?” 

“I have a date, believe it or not,” she smiled. “Do I look okay for a first date, though? Will she think I’m trying too hard?” 

She twirled around in a pink sundress paired with pastel pink flats, and nice natural makeup. Her hair was in a braid over her shoulder, and her cheeks were a bit flushed. 

“Nah, you look really cute!” Bokuto smiled, sitting up so he was sideways on the couch, leaning against the armrest. “Hope it goes well for you.” 

She looked over at the stove, noting the time. “I have about fifteen minutes before I'm meeting her, if you want to talk.” 

He bit his lip. “No, it’s fine, really. I mean...” he looked down and Tawny pawed at his lap. 

“Spill it, Kou,” Sakura shook her head, sitting on the other armrest and flipping around so her feet were resting on the couch. “Tawn seems to think you need to let something off your chest, and she’s always right.” She rested her chin in her palms and looked at him expectantly. 

He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. “I think I blew it with this guy I think I kinda have a crush on.” 

Sakura’s jaw dropped. “Whomst is this and why have I not heard of him before?!” 

“I literally just met him yesterday, Saks. That’s why I got home late, actually; I was hanging out with him.” 

_“Oh?”_ She cocked her head to the side. 

“Not in a weird way! Get your head out of the gutter. Geez, what happened to my pure little sister?” He shook his head as she giggled. “We were talking about his son and how... well, I might’ve blown it last night, now that I think about it. His ex-girlfriend, the mother of his son, is a total _bitch_ and apparently she’s done even more than he’s told me about.” 

“Why is she a bitch?” 

“Well, for one, she wanted an abortion as soon as she found out she was pregnant.” 

“That doesn’t mean she's a bitch, though,” Sakura shrugged. “I’ve dated women who have gotten abortions and they were plenty nice. Plus, if he has a son, that means that she _didn’t_ get an abortion.” 

Bokuto opened his mouth but then clasped it shut when he realized he didn’t have a counter argument for that. “Ok, that’s fair. He said it was a really messy breakup. He won’t really tell me anything else because apparently I'm not at ‘that level’ of friendship.” 

“Kou, if you’ve only known him for a day, I doubt he’s willing to spill his entire soul to you. Especially if he was in a bad relationship.” 

“He said that she’s moving back with her boyfriend, and I think he’s scared.” 

“Of her or her boyfriend?” 

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it...” he muttered, brushing his hands over Tawny’s ears. 

“Do you have mutual friends?” 

“Yeah, why?” He looked at her, confused. 

“Ask one of them for his number. That’d set your mind at ease at least a little bit, right?” 

“I guess...” 

“Good.” She patted his leg and hopped off the couch. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date. You know I love you, but I’m not willing to be late to this because she’s really cute.” 

She waltzed out of the apartment, leaving Bokuto with his thoughts and a feeling of loneliness. 

He first thought of calling Akaashi, but a part of him didn’t want to ruin anything that might be happening between him and Kenma. But... what if he just got Kuroo’s number from Akaashi? That’d work. 

He texted Akaashi that he was going to call him to chat in a few minutes, something that Akaashi had requested he do. If he didn’t text beforehand, Akaashi’s mind always went to the darkest place it could, and Bokuto never wanted to do that to his best friend. He never wanted Akaashi to feel uncomfortable around him, and that’s why he always made sure to adhere to the rules Akaashi set as best he could. Sometimes he’d be so excited about something, he’d forget, but Akaashi always forgave him. 

Before Bokuto could call Akaashi, the latter called him first. 

“Kaashi! Hi!” Bokuto smiled as he answered the phone. 

“Good evening, Bokuto,” Akaashi said in the level and soothing tone of voice he always used around Bokuto. “What’s up?” 

“Well, um...” Bokuto licked his lips. “Would you be okay giving me Kuroo’s number?” 

“What for?” Akaashi asked, his voice a bit tight. 

“I just... I want to be his friend, Akaashi. I’m not sure if he’s told you, but... he’s got a lot on his mind and I want to make sure he’s okay.” 

“I’m not sure how fine he’d be with me giving you his number, so how about we compromise and I’ll give him yours?” Akashi said, ever the peacemaker. 

Bokuto heard a muffled voice say something, taking Akaashi’s attention away from the phone. He supposed it was Kenma, but he couldn’t understand what he was saying. 

“Fine,” he heard Akaashi sigh. “Kenma thinks that giving you his number is a good idea. So, I guess I’ll send it to you.” 

“Yes! Thank you, Akaashi!” Bokuto grinned so widely he thought his face would crack in half. 

“I don’t understand why you couldn’t have just texted me about this, though.” Akaashi sounded a bit aggravated as he said that. 

“Oh,” Bokuto deflated a little. “Sorry. I just like talking on the phone better than texting.” 

“Yes, I know. But I’m hanging up now, and I’ll send you Kuroo’s number in a few minutes.” 

“Thanks, Akaashi. Sorry for calling.” 

He didn’t hear any response from his friend and saw that the phone had been disconnected. Well, Akaashi had never minced words. 

Bokuto’s phone pinged with a text from Akaashi with a phone number on it, and he quickly added the number to his phone under Kuroo’s name. 

He once more thanked Akaashi, this time over text, and the other man didn’t grace him with a response, even though he knew that Akaashi had seen it. 

Bokuto started to type out a text to Kuroo but wasn’t sure how to say that he’d gotten Kuroo’s number from their mutual friend without sounding like a creep. He didn’t want to scare Kuroo away and ruin any chance he might have with him, if there was even a _slight_ chance they could end up together. He didn’t want to appear to be too eager like he tended to be. 

But he also didn’t want to hide that part of himself and Kuroo find out about it later. He tried to figure out the worst-case scenario: Bokuto hid how to enthusiastic he really was and Kuroo regretted becoming friends with him and retracted their friendship. 

He decided to just _go for it._

_Bokuto: Hey, Kuroo! It’s Bokuto! Sorry I left in such a hurry earlier, I..._

He shook his head and deleted all of it. He didn’t want to say that he’d left because he’s a coward and didn’t want to confront his feelings. 

_Bokuto: Hey, hey, hey! It’s me, Bokuto!_ 🦉 

Nope. Nope, nope. That was just stupid. Especially the owl emoji. He groaned, pressing his face against his phone after locking it and making sure he didn’t accidentally send something to Kuroo. 

Tawny jumped up onto the couch and set her head on his shoulder, grounding him as she nuzzled his ear with her wet nose. 

He chuckled at the sensation and took a deep breath. “You’re right, Tawn. I’m overthinking this, aren’t I?” He ran a hand over her muzzle and booped her nose. “You’re the greatest dog in the world and I love you.” He kissed her nose and stood up. “Anyway, I need to take a _shower,_ I reek. Sakura wouldn’t appreciate me stinking up the whole apartment.”

He turned on the water the coldest he could take it, knowing that cold showers after a run helped him not feel so sore the next day. He sang along to the songs playing from his Bluetooth speaker obnoxiously, since Sakura wasn’t home. Tawny even provided backup vocals, howling along with him. He wasn’t sure his neighbors would appreciate that very much, but... it wasn’t quiet hours right now, and Tawn was a good dog. She never made a ruckus. Other than the occasional singing along with Bokuto. 

When he got out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and made his way toward his room, Tawny patting along behind him. He changed into some sweat pants and an old t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. He ran a hand through his hair and grabbed a headband Sakura had given him for his birthday the year before. It had kind of been a joke, but he wore it all the time when he got out of the shower or his hair started to fall out of its usual gelled state. He didn’t like to have things obscuring his vision, especially his hair. It was getting a little long, too, he might need to cut it sometime soon. 

He went to the kitchen to make some kind of food for himself, unsure of what they had. When he looked in the fridge, he noticed some stir fry that he’d forgotten he made the day before. “Score!” he muttered to himself, grabbing the container and popping it into the microwave. 

He kept humming and dancing to the music coming from his speaker, browsing through social media on his phone as he waited for his food. Absently he thought that maybe he could look Kuroo up. That wouldn’t be _too_ weird, right? He could maybe message Kuroo and ask him for his number that way, maybe then he wouldn’t be weirded out.

He went through Akaashi’s friends and found Kuroo easily enough, thankful that they were friends. Kuroo’s profile picture was of him and Shoyo, both of them making silly faces at the camera. Bokuto smiled, thinking how cute the two of them were. And, again, he had the thought that there was no reason Kuroo should think that having a kid was a deal breaker. 

He shook his head as the microwave beeped and brought him out of his stupor. He put some food into Tawny’s bowl and then flopped onto the couch with his own dinner. He turned on some TV show that Sakura had recommended. 

It wasn’t terribly interesting, just something good to get his mind off of things for now. He plugged in his phone and practically scarfed down his stir fry. Apparently he’d been fucking _hungry._

Tawny made herself comfortable on the couch next to him, her head in his lap. He scratched her behind her ears and let himself drift off into a light sleep as he fell asleep watching some weird show about vampires. He should've known Sakura would recommend something about them. 

… 

He was awoken from his light doze when his phone pinged with a message request. He rubbed his eyes drowsily, noting that it was past one am. Either Sakura’s date had gone very well and she was staying over with the other girl, or it had gone horribly and she’d slunk off to her room without waking him up. 

When Bokuto saw who the message request was from, he was immediately awake. 

_Kuroo: Hey, I hope this isn’t weird, but... can I talk to you about something?_

Bokuto couldn’t unlock his phone fast enough. 

_Bokuto: ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING, WHAT’S UP DUDE???_

Well _that_ certainly wasn’t subtle at all. He was also annoyed with himself that he'd just dude-zoned Kuroo. He wasn't sure if he could come back from that, honestly.

 _Kuroo: lol, that was fast. But um... I guess I just wanted to talk to someone and didn’t want to bother Oikawa or Kenma._

_Bokuto: Oh, so I'm your third choice, huh, that stings, bro_

_Kuroo: That’s not what I meant. I guess I just wanted... a third party’s opinion. You haven’t met her or her boyfriend so you can give me an unbiased opinion. You mind if we text instead of going over this chat?_

_Bokuto: Sure, that’s fine. Actually I already asked Akaashi for your number, I’ll send you a text so you have mine._

Bokuto sincerely hoped that Kuroo didn’t think it was weird that he’d asked Akaashi for his number. 

He sent a text quickly. 

_Bokuto: So what’s up, Kuroo? It’s really late, are you doing okay? Is Shoyo okay?!_

_Kuroo: …_  
_Kuroo: Ha, I guess I'm doing okay, but..._  
_Kuroo: My ex-girlfriend's boyfriend texted me._

Bokuto’s jaw dropped. He didn’t want to discuss this over text. This sounded like it should be something talked about in person. 

_Bokuto: Hey, would it be okay if I like... came over and we talked in person? I can bring Tawny._

_Kuroo: …_  
_Kuroo: I guess..._  
_Kuroo: I’d rather text_

Bokuto’s heart dropped. He’d been too forward. Time to backpedal. 

_Bokuto: Sorry, didn't mean to overstep bounds. go ahead._

He berated himself for thinking that he could just burst into Kuroo’s house. Because, of course he wouldn’t want to talk about such a sensitive subject face-to-face. That was asking too much. Not everyone thought the same way he did, after all. And apparently Kuroo wasn't as open with his emotions as Bokuto was.

 _Kuroo: No, I didn’t mean that._  
_Kuroo: I’m scared and would appreciate some company._  
_Kuroo: But you don’t need to bring Tawny, just you is enough._

_Bokuto: OMW, BRO!!!_ 😤😤😤 

He immediately threw on a jacket and shoes and refused to acknowledge the flutter his heart made when Kuroo said that he was enough. He had it bad for Kuroo, but there wasn’t any way he was about to screw this up. 

He wanted to be there for Kuroo as a friend, and for now that had to be enough. 

As soon as he got to Kuroo’s apartment, he sent him a text. 

_Bokuto: Hey man I’m here_

The door opened about five seconds after he sent the text, and Kuroo looked absolutely _panicked._ Bokuto had never seen his eyes move that quickly as he surveyed the hallway. 

“Come in, come in,” he waved Bokuto in as quickly as possible. 

Of course Bokuto nearly flew into the apartment, ready to fight whoever had made Kuroo feel this way. 

“What happened, Kuroo?” 

Kuroo plopped onto his sofa and motioned for Bokuto to do the same. “Settle in, my friend, because I am about to just...” He shook his head. “No, never mind, this was stupid. I’m sorry for asking you to –” 

“No, Kuroo,” Bokuto said, folding his arms. “Don’t be sorry. We might not know each other very well right now, but I _want_ to get to know you and obviously this past relationship is weighing on you too much. You want an unbiased opinion? I’ll try my best to give you one. I can’t guarantee anything because I obviously kind of hate her already because she hurt you and Shoyo. But I’ll see what I can do.” 

“Bokuto...” Kuroo bit his lip, looking down to his lap where he fiddled with his fingers. “Thank you. I just... I don’t really want anyone else to know about this yet, because it’s... it’s a big deal. Like, _huge._ Like...” 

“Kuroo, no matter what it is, I doubt it will make me think anything less of you. I don’t know about you, but as soon as we hung out last night, I felt like we could become really good friends.” Bokuto cringed inwardly at his choice of words, but he couldn’t push it; he couldn’t afford to fuck this up before it had even begun. “And friends help each other out, especially through breakups and bad relationships. So just lay it on me. I can take it. I’m a big guy.” He threw off his jacket and teasingly flexed his arms. 

Kuroo laughed through his nose. “Well, make yourself comfortable, then, because it’s a _long_ story, and it is _not_ a nice one.” 

Bokuto sat cross-legged on the couch, facing towards Kuroo, nodding seriously. “I’m ready.”

Kuroo took a deep breath to collect himself.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A flashback of snapshots from Kuroo's past relationship with Shoyo's mom, starting his first year of college, at age 18. This chapter contains underage(?) drinking ~~are they in Japan? are they in America? honestly i don't fukcin know~~ and 18-year-olds being reckless and stupid, even though they're technically "adults."

The first time he saw her was at a party, through a haze of smoke and in a drunken stupor. He’d stumbled around a party being held by his friends in the house they shared. He usually wasn’t one for parties, but when Oikawa and the Trouble Twins (Hanamaki and Matsukawa) had said they were hosting a party while Iwaizumi was gone, Kuroo couldn’t say no. 

Iwaizumi was the one who prevented those three from making terrible decisions more often than not, and Kuroo realized that he might have to take over the role with Iwaizumi gone. 

Unfortunately, instead of preventing them from doing stupid shit, he only joined them. 

The night was a blur after the alcohol had started flowing. Honestly Kuroo couldn’t remember much other than singing karaoke _very badly_ with Hanamaki and then making out with Oikawa on a dare while they were both shirtless. Not that they hadn’t made out before, honestly, but that was before Oikawa and Iwaizumi had _officially_ become boyfriends. Admittedly Kuroo and Oikawa had been Friends with Benefits for a little while to blow off steam. After the make out session was over, Kuroo slurred a demand to never tell Iwaizumi about it. Matsukawa had nodded his solemn oath, pocketing his phone. Kuroo was sure he’d gotten blackmail material. 

But when he saw her, with her soft brown hair and warm brown eyes, he could’ve sworn he sobered up immediately. When she _smiled,_ he knew immediately that he had to get to know her better. He’d been so lonely since he’d broken up with Kenma, and just feeling the warmth of another person that wasn’t one of his best friends sounded like a great idea. 

He moseyed up to her, trying to act cool, but unfortunately, he was still drunk. He tripped over his feet and accidentally slammed his hands on the wall behind her, trapping her in between his arms. He was extremely glad he hadn't put his hands in his pockets. “Well. Hello, there,” he said, trying to give her a sexy smirk. 

She snorted, so he supposed it didn’t work that well. 

“Sorry, I’m drunk,” he admitted, backing away from her and rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I could tell,” she nodded, giggling. “But what an entrance, honestly. I don’t mind forwardness in a man.” She, apparently, was as drunk as he was, because she curled her fingers into his belt loops and brought him close to her. 

Kuroo swallowed thickly, his head buzzing again, and this time not because of alcohol. He noticed that her eyes were a bit red, and although he didn’t want to turn down such a bold invitation from a cute girl, he didn’t want to take advantage of her. 

But before he could say anything, she kissed him and _wow._ Kuroo hadn’t kissed anyone since Kenma, and it had been a _while._ He leaned into her, putting his palms back on the wall to steady himself. She tasted like some kind of cherry liqueur, and Kuroo wasn’t complaining. He chased her tongue to taste more of it and soon the two of them were pretty much dry humping against the wall. 

“My place isn’t far, you wanna get out of here?” she asked breathlessly after they pulled away from each other. Her eyes held promise and if her kissing showed anything, she had skills that she was dying to show Kuroo. 

Usually Kuroo was one to think with his head, but he was still so drunk and _horny_ that he was thinking with the _wrong one._

“Hell yeah,” Kuroo nodded, taking her hand. Maybe the alcohol was clouding his judgement, but honestly he couldn’t care less. Kissing had brought back memories of being with Kenma, and Kuroo just _missed_ it. 

He realized with a jolt that he didn’t miss being with Kenma, specifically. He just missed being with _someone._ And this girl could be his someone for tonight, so why not? 

When they got to her apartment, he belatedly realized that he didn’t even know her name, but he soon realized that it wasn’t necessary. Words weren’t exchanged; just heavy breaths and moans as they kissed and fell into the soft sheets of her bed. 

… 

The next morning, Kuroo woke up after her, which he found a little surprising; he’d always been an early riser. The tips of her fingers were running over the bridge of his nose gently, and she was looking at him with her head on the pillow. Her brown eyes were soft, and she had a small smile on her face. 

“Morning,” he said, his voice gravelly as he stretched. He groaned as he felt the scratches against his back pull. The girl had fucking _claws._ He did appreciate that she’d felt as good as she had, though. Through the pounding headache he had, a distinct feeling crept up on him that he’d had an incredible revelation last night. He couldn't for the life of him couldn’t remember what it was. Something to do with his relationship with Kenma...? 

She hummed, cupping his cheek and snapping him out of his thoughts. “I had a great time last night.” 

“Me too,” he nodded. “But I should head home. My roommates will wonder where I am.” 

“Why don’t you stay for breakfast, though?” she pouted. 

That was against all the rules of a one-night stand. Kuroo had had his share of them, so maybe it wasn’t against her rules of a one-night stand to ask him to stay, but it was definitely against _his._ He’d wanted to wake up before her to avoid this whole situation. 

He sat up and looked at her, running his fingers through her hair gently, trying to avoid the knots. He put on his sweetest voice and said, “Why don’t you take a shower and I’ll pretend to stay but slip out while you’re showering because I would rather not?” 

He got out of the bed and was a little amused to find that he was, for some reason, still wearing his socks. Neither was on all the way, which made it even funnier. He hid his smile by turning his back to her, and she traced the scabs she’d left roughly.

He hissed and stepped away from her. “Ow?” He turned to look back at her, and she shrugged. 

“Small price to pay for just ditching me the morning after the night we had.” She stretched, giving him a full view of her bare chest. 

“You don’t seem too torn up about it,” he noted. 

“Hmm, guess I’m not. Maybe cause you’re _way_ better than my ex. I wouldn’t mind another one-night stand with you because of that,” she grinned. 

He snorted. “That defeats the whole purpose of a one-night stand.” 

“Maybe I don’t want a one-night stand, though.” 

Kuroo froze. It took him a couple seconds before he could turn around to face her. “What?” 

“What if we get to know each other better? It wouldn’t be so bad, right? And if that led into something more, who would complain?” 

He blinked and barked a laugh. “You seriously want to get into a relationship with me?” 

She nodded. “Why not? You’re hot, you’re tall, you’re really good in bed.” 

“I’m gonna pass. Maybe I’ll see you on campus sometime, or whatever,” he waved behind his shoulder without looking back. 

He missed Kenma, and she would just try to be a sorry replacement for him. No one could ever replace Kenma in his heart, and that was always going to sting. 

… 

A few months later, Kuroo walked into his Calculus class at the beginning of the new semester with a huge iced coffee in his hand, ready to die. He was smart, but math was not his strong suit. He liked science; that’s why he was studying chemistry. He’d pulled an all-nighter because he’d been nervous for the first day like a fucking kindergartner. But thankfully he was not, he thought as he took a huge drink from his iced coffee. He’d gotten an extra five shots of espresso and the barista had given him an extremely concerned look. 

He blearily sat down in the back row, not paying attention to anyone around him. He wasn’t even aware that he’d sat down right next to someone. 

“Oh.” He heard a voice say. 

When he turned his tired eyes to the person sitting there, he nearly threw his coffee in surprise. 

“Oh!” he repeated, stupidly. 

She giggled. “Didn’t think you would be in this class. I pegged you more of an artsy type of guy.” 

He nearly choked. “Really? You thought _I_ was artsy? Far from it.” 

She shrugged. “What is your major, actually?” 

“Biochemistry.” 

“I bet you could pick up all the girls with pick-up lines about that,” she smirked. 

He rolled his eyes. “I didn’t even need it with you.” 

“Usually I’m not that easy. I was drunk that night and I'd just broken up with my boyfriend.” 

“Oh. That explains why your eyes were kinda swollen, then.” 

“You remember that? It could’ve just been from the weed I was smoking,” she gave him a pointed look. 

“Nah, I don’t think you were smoking. You tasted like alcohol, through and through.” 

“Just as forward as that night,” she leaned forward onto her elbows. “And I still don’t even know your name.” 

“Oh, yeah, I guess so, huh,” he bit his lip. “We never said our names.” 

“Nope,” she shook her head, sending her soft brown hair swinging. “Guess we could introduce ourselves now.” 

“All right, settle down, class, it’s time to begin,” the professor said, coming into the classroom a minute before the scheduled time. 

The girl leaned back into her chair and sighed. 

The professor started calling out attendance and Kuroo listened very closely for his name, as well as the girl next to him to respond to her own. 

His name came first, and his voice came out strong when he replied, “Here.” 

Her name was the last one the professor called. 

“Yamaka Mika.” 

“Here,” she replied, raising her hand. 

_‘Mika...’_ Kuroo thought. It was a nice name, honestly. It suited her. 

The class was spent going over the syllabus, and Kuroo paid rapt attention to it. He couldn’t afford to fail this class, and there wasn’t any way he’d take it again if he did. 

After class, Mika put her hand on the table in front of him before he had a chance to grab his shit and leave. 

“So. Kuroo Tetsurou,” she grinned. “Would you like to go get coffee with me?” 

He shook his now empty coffee cup with melted ice cubes in it. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Yamaka Mika. Also, are you... asking me out on a date?” 

She nodded. “I did say that I wanted us to get to know each other better after that night, didn’t I?” 

“You did...” he raised an eyebrow. “What’s the catch, though, you have an evil look on your face right now.” 

“No catch, I promise. Just wanting to get to know you better. And maybe something more. But like... more than a one-night stand.” 

“So like, you want me to be your boyfriend?” 

She shrugged. “If the boot fits.” 

He laughed. “Okay, we’ll try it, I guess. And we’ll see where it goes.” 

“Yay!” she clapped happily. 

Maybe... _maybe_ she could be the thing he needed to forget about Kenma. 

… 

That one coffee date turned into many, and honestly Kuroo was happy for the first time since Kenma. His hunch had been right; he’d finally filled the void with someone else. 

They were happy together and they moved faster than they probably should have. They moved in together a mere month after becoming official, which Oikawa had _highly_ advised against, considering how they’d met. But Kuroo wouldn’t listen, he was too much _in love._

He was blindsided the first time Mika brought over a friend to their apartment. 

“Tetsurou, I’d like you to meet someone!” Mika said happily, a young man standing next to her. He had beady eyes and a slimy smile that set Kuroo’s skin crawling. 

“Oh?” he asked as he raised an eyebrow. 

“This is my friend Daisho Suguru. We’ve been friends for a long time!” 

“Nice to meet you, _Tetsurou,_ ” the way this Daisho guy said his name immediately sent chills up Kuroo’s spine. The way he looked at him felt like a snake eyeing its prey before it struck. 

And he didn’t like the way he looked at Mika. Kuroo respected her freedom; he trusted her. But Daisho made him start to question that. He looked at Mika like he was in love with her, which made Kuroo start to question their relationship. 

… 

“I don’t know what to do, Oikawa...” Kuroo said, a warm mug of coffee clasped in between his hands. 

“Break! Up! With! Her!” Oikawa said, clapping in between each word. “Kuroo, she is _not_ fucking worth it if you keep coming over here, looking as heartbroken as you do. All the time. Every day. You’re always doing whatever she wants and you aren’t taking any time to yourself!” 

Kuroo bit his lip. Oikawa was exaggerating, but only by a little bit. 

He’d found out that Mika was sleeping with Daisho on an extremely regular basis, walking in on them _having sex in his bed._ He thanked whatever god there might be that he’d always worn protection when he was with Mika. 

“I _can’t,_ Oikawa.” 

“Why not?! You always say that it’s because you love her and she loves you, but Kuroo, this isn’t love. Love is trusting your partner. Whatever you have with Mika is...” He waved his hands. “I don’t know, but it’s just shitty!” 

“Mika’s _pregnant,_ ” Kuroo blurted out.

Oikawa’s jaw dropped. “Seriously?” 

“Yes. And she wants to get an abortion.” 

Oikawa sat down and put his arm around Kuroo’s shoulders. Oikawa had always been a touchy-feely person, and Kuroo didn’t mind it. “What do you think about that?” 

“I... I don’t want her to.” 

“Have you told her that?” 

“...No.” 

“Go _tell_ her then, you doofus!” Oikawa smacked the back of his head lightly. “Jeez, you need to learn to communicate with your girlfriend better.” 

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Oikawa.” 

“Hey, what are best friends for?” he said, giving Kuroo a big hug which he gladly reciprocated. 

Kuroo made his way back to their apartment. He was going to tell Mika his side, whether she liked it or not. 

As soon as he got back into the apartment they shared, he flinched. Daisho was sitting on the couch with Mika in his lap, his arms around her stomach. 

“Mika,” Kuroo said, trying to keep his voice strong. “I don’t want you to get an abortion.” 

Daisho scoffed. “What makes you think you have any say in the matter?” 

“I don’t want your bad decisions to affect a life. Even if...” His fists clenched. “Even if that life isn’t mine.” 

“But I don’t want to carry it to term,” Mika shook her head. “My body will get fucked up.” 

“You’d still look gorgeous, Mika,” Daisho said, kissing her shoulder blade. His voice was soft and full of love and it made Kuroo _sick._

“Mika, it’s ultimately your choice, yes, but... I’ve let you have everything you want from me. You’ve taken practically everything from me. Please let me have something from you.” Kuroo’s fists shook with how hard he was clenching them, trying to keep his voice from wavering. 

Mika sighed and rolled her eyes. “What do you think, babe?” she looked over her shoulder at Daisho. 

Kuroo’s heart clenched at the pet name. If he’d been looking for any signal that he and Mika were _definitely_ over, that was it. He grit his teeth when Daisho opened his mouth, unsure of what he was going to say. 

“Whatever you want, darling. I don’t want a brat running around my house, but if someone else wants to take it, fine by me.” 

Kuroo almost fell to the floor. Daisho would _willingly_ give his actual child to Kuroo? Whom he hated? 

“Really?” Kuroo asked quietly. 

“I don’t give a fuck about you, you bastard,” Daisho spit at Kuroo. “It’s all about what my princess wants.” 

“It’ll make a good parting gift to you, Kuroo,” Mika shrugged idly. 

“Parting gift?” he blinked. 

“Yeah, Daisho and I are moving to Korea soon. I guess after this brat is born.” 

Kuroo wanted to throw up. So many things were happening at once and his head was spinning. 

… 

“Mr. Kuroo?” the nurse said, coming into the waiting room. 

“Yes!” his whole body shot up and he towered over the poor nurse. “Sorry, yes. That’s me.” 

“I can tell you’re very nervous, but there’s no need to be. Ms. Yamaka and the baby are both doing well.” 

He let out a sigh. “That’s good to hear. Um... a boy or a girl?” 

“A healthy baby boy! Congratulations. We’ve set him in the nursery, would you like to see Ms. Yamaka first?” 

Kuroo debated if it would be weird for him to say no. “Um... I’d like to see the baby first, if that’s alright.” 

“Of course." Thankfully it seemed that the nurse didn't judge him and changed course corrected so they headed toward the nursery. "She didn’t give us a name, she said that you’d be the one to name him?” 

Kuroo nearly cried. She really had meant it when she said she was just giving him all the responsibility. Not that he’d really thought she was lying about something like that. She was obviously very set on going to Korea with Daisho. She'd been packing for a while now, and had basically moved out of the apartment they'd shared.

He cleared his throat when he realized he’d been silent for too long. “Yes, that’s... I’m naming him.” 

He hadn’t really thought about names, but one stuck out in his mind vividly. “ _Shoyo. Flying sun._ Because he’s been my sun for the past nine months. He’s been the one to help me through this,” he said to the nurse. 

“That’s a lovely name,” she smiled. “Here we are, and Shoyo is in that bassinette over there.” 

When Kuroo saw the tiny baby with a splash of dark hair on his head, he actually _sobbed._ He didn’t think he’d be this emotional over a child that wasn’t his, but... Thinking about it, Shoyo was his, wasn’t he? Maybe not biologically, but he was going to raise this child to be a good person, to have a mind of his own. He was going to do a good job of it, even if he had to do it by himself. 

… 

“I’m sorry he woke you guys up again,” Kuroo told Oikawa and Iwaizumi as he fed Shoyo. “He has quite a set of lungs on him.” 

“It’s fine, we don’t need an alarm clock this way,” Iwaizumi waved his hand, yawning. 

Kuroo frowned at Iwaizumi's attempt at humor. He was dragging them down into this; they didn't ask for it. “Really, I should find my own place soon, you know.” 

“No, Kuroo, we’ve been over this _so_ many times,” Oikawa rolled his eyes as he started the coffee maker. “We’re friends and friends help each other. Even when there is a screaming infant waking us up at ungodly hours. You need a place to stay and we're offering it to you.” 

Kuroo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but I’m a freeloader. I still feel like I’m imposing on you.” 

“You _aren’t,_ ” the two men glared at him simultaneously. 

“Kuroo, we told you we’d help you no matter what. Once we graduate and you have a steady income plus savings and you can afford a place and everything Shoyo needs, then we’ll let you move out. But not until you can do so safely. There’s no way we’d let you endanger him like that,” Iwaizumi shook his head. “Dumbass.” 

He wasn’t used to this kindness from... anyone, really. But if this is what real friends did, Kuroo never wanted to find anyone else. 

“Shoyo, I hope you grow up to have friends just as good as mine are,” he said to his son after they’d left the room. 

The baby squirmed in his arms and smiled for the first time. Kuroo felt tears come out of his eyes and he pressed a kiss to Shoyo’s forehead. “You’re so precious, I will do anything to protect you. From now onward, I’ll make sure you’re a flying sun, just like your name implies. You’ll bring happiness to everyone around you, I’m sure.” 


	8. Chapter 8

Bokuto sat in silence as Kuroo recounted his story and bit his lip. He wasn’t sure what to say to all of that. There was a lot to unpack. 

Kuroo laughed awkwardly after he finished. “Yeah. It’s... there’s a lot of shit that happened, and...” he sighed. “Now that he’s texted me, I don’t know what to do. Like... do I just... let them back into Shoyo’s life? I mean... what if she wants to see him, too? Do I have a right to deny them?” 

“Do you want to let them see him?” Bokuto asked quietly. 

“Fuck no. Shoyo deserves better than them. And they don’t deserve to see him, after all they’ve done. I mean...” Kuroo started pacing, wringing his hands and brushing them through his hair. “I just... is it weird that I kind of miss her? Like, even after _six fucking years_ of her not being here, just... And after everything...” 

Bokuto got up and put his hands firmly on Kuroo’s shoulders. “Kuroo. No matter what, your feelings are valid, and I think you loved her when you were together. The way you talk about her makes me think that you wanted it to work out with her but she just... didn’t want to work it out with you. And that sucks. And that was very shitty of her to cheat on you. But you do have Shoyo, you know? And you have Kenma and Akaashi. And, I know we haven’t known each other for long, but I’m here too.” 

“Yeah, you’re right...” Kuroo nodded, putting his hands in his pockets. “Thanks, Bokuto.” 

“Of course, that’s what friends are for.” Bokuto squeezed Kuroo’s shoulders before letting go and backing away. He didn’t want to make things uncomfortable for Kuroo, especially after he’d unloaded all that. 

“Um, Bokuto?” Kuroo licked his lips and ruffled his hair with a hand. “Would it be weird if I like... asked for a hug? From you?” 

Bokuto’s brain nearly short-circuited. He stood there for maybe too long, with a dumb look on his face because Kuroo coughed and laughed awkwardly. 

“Sorry, it was weird after all, huh?” 

“No!” Bokuto shouted, flinching. Hopefully that didn’t wake Shoyo up. He continued in a quieter tone. “No, I uh... I just wasn’t expecting you to... ask for that. But shit, yeah, I’ll give you a hug. I’ll even cuddle you if you want.” 

Bokuto immediately opened his arms and Kuroo fell into them, wrapping his own around Bokuto’s torso. 

The Bokuto hug was even better than Kuroo could’ve imagined. Even elusive Iwaizumi hugs weren’t this good. Pretty much all of his friends were as skinny as he was, especially Kenma, but Bokuto was _solid._ He was warm and being in his arms made Kuroo feel safe. He smelled like soap, and Kuroo wanted to stay in this embrace forever. 

“Bokuto, I don’t know how... I mean... I’ve never told anyone that whole story. Why do you just... make me want to trust you?” Kuroo said quietly. 

“I’m glad that you feel that way, Kuroo,” Bokuto smiled, tightening his grip around Kuroo. He didn’t want to ever let go. “I’m glad you trusted me enough with all of it, I hope that I was able to help you... I dunno, destress?” 

Kuroo laughed a little bit. “Yeah. I...” He nuzzled his head into Bokuto’s shoulder, his hair tickling Bokuto’s neck. “Really, thank you for being here and listening to me. I didn’t really want to bother Kenma and Akaashi, what with their wedding planning and stuff... And Iwaizumi and Oikawa have a game tomorrow, so I didn’t want to bother them either.” 

“You can bother me _any time,_ Kuroo. I’ll be here whenever you need it, okay?” 

Kuroo nodded, and he wanted to wrap his whole body around Bokuto to get maximum contact. But he figured that would be _really_ fucking weird, so he wouldn’t do that. 

Bokuto stayed silent, the two of them just basking in the warmth they shared. Kuroo was so comfortable, he wished he could stay in this bubble forever, but... 

The moment was shattered when Shoyo broke the silence. “Daddy?” 

The two men practically flew apart, Kuroo trying to hide his embarrassment. He coughed awkwardly, looking toward the hallway where his son was standing. “Hey, buddy, what are you doing awake?” 

It was nearly three thirty in the morning, Bokuto noticed as he frantically looked around the room to avoid eye contact with Kuroo. 

Shoyo rubbed his eyes sleepily and Bokuto couldn’t believe how adorable the kid was. 

“I heard a loud noise and came see what it was...” Shoyo mumbled, then his groggy eyes finally focused on Bokuto. “Bo!” 

He bounded toward him, and Bokuto obviously scooped him up in a hug. He noticed Kuroo put his hand on his chest, the most offended look on his face. Apparently Bokuto hadn’t been the only one who’d enjoyed the hug immensely. 

He mouthed an apology to Kuroo, smiling. Kuroo waved it off and walked over to Bokuto. “Okay, Shoyo, you figured out what the noise was, now it’s back to bed with you.” He held out his arms to take him from Bokuto. 

“But Bo’s here...” Shoyo pouted, his arms wrapped around Bokuto’s neck. 

“Yes, I know, but you need sleep, kiddo,” Kuroo rolled his eyes. “We’re going to Uncle Tooru’s game tomorrow, remember? Now come on, back to bed.” 

“I want Bo to take me!” Shoyo said, tightening his hold around Bokuto’s neck. 

Bokuto let out a strangled noise before he took one of Shoyo’s arms and held it away from his neck. “You got a strong grip there, champ,” he said, laughing lightly. 

Kuroo rubbed his forehead. “Do you mind, Bokuto?” he asked quietly. 

“Of course not,” Bokuto shook his head. “I would be glad to put him to bed.” 

“Thanks,” Kuroo nodded. “Just put him down, maybe he’ll ask you to read a story. You don’t have to finish if he falls asleep in the middle,” he whispered. 

“Gotcha. Come on, Sho, let’s get you back to bed.” 

The boy was already dozing off against Bokuto’s shoulder as he walked down the hallway. “Which room, Kuroo?” he asked over his shoulder. 

“Second door on the left,” Kuroo directed as he sat down on the sofa. 

He wrapped his arms around himself, hoping to replicate any kind of the warmth he felt from Bokuto. Unfortunately he wasn’t nearly as muscled as Bokuto, and his arms weren’t enough. He started pacing the length of the living room, wringing his hands and trying to figure out what he should text back to Daisho. Or even if he _should._

Bokuto came back to the living room less than a minute later. “Shoyo was out as soon as I put him on the bed.” 

“Good,” Kuroo nodded. 

They stood in awkward silence for a few moments before Bokuto coughed. “Y’know, what I said about cuddling, that offer still stands. If you... still want to, or whatever. We don’t have to if you don’t want to, I can just go home.” 

Kuroo snorted. “Shut up and come cuddle with me, you dork.” 

He sat down on the couch and Bokuto stood in front of it. “Uh, how... do you wanna do this?” 

“Well, first, you could sit down,” Kuroo smirked. 

“Yeah, I guess... yeah.” Bokuto clumsily plopped down on the couch next to him. 

Kuroo immediately put his legs over Bokuto’s lap, grabbing Bokuto’s arm to put it around his back. He rested his head on Bokuto’s shoulder and wrapped one of his arms around Bokuto’s neck. Bokuto just hoped that Kuroo couldn’t hear his racing heartbeat as he wrapped his hand around Kuroo’s waist to keep him stable. 

“Are you usually this affectionate?” Bokuto laughed awkwardly, trying not to touch Kuroo too much. 

“I got it from Oikawa. Now shush, I’m going to sleep.” 

Kuroo closed his eyes, and Bokuto tried not to stiffen up. He hadn’t really expected to sleep over at Kuroo’s apartment, and he knew he was going to get so much shit from Sakura if she found out about this. He sighed, letting his hand rest on Kuroo’s knee. 

Bokuto hesitantly raised his other hand to run his fingers through Kuroo’s hair. Kuroo hummed, brushing his face against Bokuto’s shirt. “That feels nice,” he said softly, already sounding half-asleep. 

“Hey, so... I know this probably isn’t the best time to bring it up, but... from what I can gather, Oikawa’s the one whose team this Daisho guy is going to be on, right?” Bokuto said. 

Kuroo groaned and opened his eyes. “Fuck, you’re right. And he’s probably already in town. That’s why Iwaizumi told me about it. I doubt the coach would let him play this game, but I bet he’ll be there in the stands at the very least. Which means she’ll be right there with him. Ugh, I don’t want to deal with them.” He buried his face into Bokuto’s chest, and Bokuto wanted nothing more than to protect Kuroo from this whole situation. 

There wasn’t anything he could do about it, though, so he had to convince himself that cuddling with Kuroo would have to be enough for now. 

“Is there anything we could do to make it... I don’t know, easier on you? Like, I could go with you to the game?” 

Kuroo looked up at him. “Really? You’d go to some random volleyball game with me?” 

Bokuto nodded. “I played in high school. I enjoy watching it every once in a while.” 

“That’s really sweet of you. And honestly I’d really appreciate it.” 

“Good. And to avoid them, you could show me a picture of them or something? I might not seem like it, but I am pretty observant, so I think I could do a decent job at keeping them away!” 

“Hmm, maybe...” Kuroo nodded. “Get your phone and look them up, I have them both blocked on all social media.” 

Bokuto’s head cocked to the side. “How did Daisho get your number, then?” 

Kuroo huffed out a laugh. “Call me a moron, but I never changed my number after me and Mika broke up. I guess a part of me was kind of hoping that she’d have a change of heart or something and come back to me and Sho. Even after all this time...” He shook his head at himself. 

Bokuto hummed, tapping on his phone screen and holding Kuroo tighter with his free hand. “Hmm, Daisho Suguru, right? I don’t see why she left you for him. He looks like a rat.” 

Kuroo couldn’t hold back the loud laugh that left his mouth, and it turned into a full laughing fit. He buried his face into Bokuto’s chest, trying to muffle himself so he didn’t wake up Shoyo again. 

“What?! He _does!”_ Bokuto laughed along with him, reveling in the fact that he’d made Kuroo laugh so hard. He’d never heard this laugh come from Kuroo, and if he could hear it every day for the rest of his life, he’d consider himself a lucky man. 

Once Kuroo finally got his breath back and wiped the tears of mirth off his face, he looked up at Bokuto. 

“I’ve always considered him to look more like a snake, but like... You’re right.” He giggled, trying to calm down. 

Bokuto shook his head. “Nah, comparing him to a snake is an insult to the snakes.” 

Kuroo had to grab a couch pillow and shove it over his face to contain his screaming laugh. 

“Actually, comparing him to a rat is insulting to them, too...” Bokuto tapped his chin with his pointer finger, relishing in Kuroo’s laughter, muffled as it was. 

_“Stop! _I’m going to wake Shoyo up,” Kuroo whisper-yelled when he pulled the pillow away from his face.__

____

____

Bokuto smiled and let himself hug Kuroo closer. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh that much. Or really even laugh, like... at all.” 

“Yeah, it’s... it’s been a while,” Kuroo smiled awkwardly, wrapping his arm around Bokuto’s neck again, giving him a squeeze. “I really needed that. Thanks.” 

“Any time,” Bokuto grinned. “But, y’know, it’s really late. We should probably get some sleep. I don’t want you to go to the game running on empty, especially with them being there. If you don’t mind, I’ll sleep out here on the couch and you can go to your bed.” 

“Yeah...” Kuroo nodded. “But, um... could we just like... sleep out here on the couch?” 

“I said I’d sleep out here. You go sleep in your bed,” Bokuto shook his head. “You should get a good night sleep.” 

“Either way, I’ll be getting like maybe four hours, five if I’m lucky, so it doesn’t make a difference if I'm out here or in my bed,” Kuroo shrugged. “I want to keep cuddling with you.” 

Bokuto felt his face flush. “Oh. Okay... I guess that’s fine. But wouldn’t a bed be more comfortable?” 

“Not an option.” Kuroo shook his head adamantly. 

Bokuto waited for a moment in case there was more to that, but when Kuroo didn’t elaborate, he continued. “Okay, I guess couch it is. How do you wanna do this?” 

“You’re a big guy, just lay down and I’ll lay down on top of you,” Kuroo shrugged, getting up briefly to allow Bokuto to adjust. “I’ll get the lights and be back in a second.” 

Bokuto laid down on his back, trying to calm his heart again. He’d gotten so caught up in talking to Kuroo that he’d forgotten how nervous he was to just be close to him. But now that they’d be in utter darkness and Kuroo would be _laying on top of him,_ he wasn’t sure how well his body would listen to his brain. He just hoped that he wouldn’t get morning wood and Kuroo would feel it. That would be so embarrassing. 

The light was switched off and Bokuto heard Kuroo shuffling across the floor and the scrape of a chair against the vinyl before a whispered, “Ow, fuck!” 

“What’d you do?” he asked, chuckling. 

“You would think I’d know the layout of my own apartment,” Kuroo laughed. “I just smacked a goddamn chair with my funny bone.” 

“Do you need me to kiss it better?” Bokuto said before he could think. 

“Aww, you’d do that for me?” Kuroo replied without missing a beat. “Thanks, bro, but I think sleeping on a living heater would be even better. Incoming.” 

Bokuto braced himself for Kuroo to just flop onto him with his full body weight, but surprisingly, Kuroo knelt on the couch before lowering himself gradually onto Kuroo’s chest. Bokuto’s arms automatically wrapped around Kuroo’s waist, and Kuroo brought a blanket up around his shoulders. 

“Good night, Bokuto.” 

“Night, Kuroo.” 

… 

At eight o’clock in the morning, Oikawa traipsed into Kuroo’s apartment using his spare key. “Oh Tetsu-chan!” his voice lilting, he swung the keychain around his finger. “We’re here to make sure you’re awake so you’re not late for my game! Oh?” 

He immediately stopped when he saw the two men cuddling on the couch. Kuroo’s hands were clenched in Bokuto’s shirt with his head resting on Bokuto’s strong chest. The blanket was barely hanging onto Kuroo, tangled in his legs and the rest of it fallen on the floor. 

Oikawa looked back at Iwaizumi. “Why don’t we ever cuddle like that?” 

“Because you’re fucking heavy,” Iwaizumi said without hesitation. 

“So rude, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa whined. 

“Oh, please, we cuddle plenty of other ways,” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. “Also I’m surprised you’re not going to freak out over who this guy is. Just wake them up, I don’t want to be late.” 

Kuroo stirred and opened his eyes. He was warm from all angles, and he remembered that he was sleeping on a heated mattress. He looked up and saw Bokuto’s sleeping face. The headband he’d been wearing the night before was askew and his two-toned hair fell softly over his forehead. 

The smaller man reached up to brush it back and he heard a loud fake gag come from close by. 

His head shot up to see Oikawa and Iwaizumi standing by the front door, Oikawa with a look of disgust on his face. Iwaizumi was as stone-faced as ever, but he looked ready to smack Oikawa if he went too far with his teasing. 

“What are you guys doing here?” Kuroo asked, trying to sit up. 

Unfortunately for him, Bokuto had an iron grip even in his sleep, and he couldn’t break out of it. So he just kind of pushed himself up onto his elbows and looked like he was planking above Bokuto. 

“My game’s today, did you forget?” Oikawa pouted. 

“No, of course not.” 

“He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and The Bitch are going to be in the stands. Coach told us they were in town and going to be watching,” Iwaizumi said quietly. “We wanted to come over early to let you know just in case you needed to mentally prepare yourself or something.” 

“Thanks, guys. I figured as much, though,” Kuroo nodded. He looked down at Bokuto, smiling slightly. “Bokuto helped a lot last night.” 

“Oh?” Oikawa wiggled his eyebrows, smirking. “You finally get laid for the first time in six years with this absolute _unit_ of a man?” 

Kuroo made aggressive eye contact with Oikawa and smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” 

Oikawa’s jaw dropped. Kuroo usually rose up to his bait, so what on earth was that about?! He pointed at Kuroo and turned to Iwaizumi, an incredulous look on his face. “Iwa-chan!” 

“Your fault for being a nosy dumbass,” Iwaizumi shrugged. “We’ll see you at the game, then, Kuroo?” 

“Yep,” Kuroo nodded, waving slightly. “We’ll bring Shoyo along, he’ll be excited to see you play again, Oikawa.” 

“As he should be! But I still think he should play volleyball instead of soccer,” Oikawa pouted. 

Kuroo shrugged. “He hasn’t found a spark to make him love volleyball more than soccer.” His heart lurched when he remembered that he’d lost his son’s soccer ball. “But maybe he will soon.” 

“Don’t be late, Kuroo! And after we win, you have to introduce me to your mystery man!” Oikawa threw a wink over his shoulder before waving and leaving with Iwaizumi. 

Iwaizumi shot Kuroo a look that said, “You better make good choices,” before he closed the door behind him. 

Kuroo rolled his eyes and looked at Bokuto’s face again. He’d turned, his hair falling in front of his eyes and a little bit of drool escaped his mouth. Kuroo chuckled a little and pinched Bokuto’s nose closed. 

The bigger man bolted straight up after a few seconds, nearly tossing Kuroo off of him entirely. Thankfully he somehow still had the iron grip around Kuroo’s waist, or he definitely would’ve gotten tossed into a back summersault over the edge of the couch. 

Kuroo laughed, throwing his arms around Bokuto’s neck to stabilize himself. “Sorry for waking you up like that,” Kuroo bit his lips, trying not to laugh too hard at Bokuto’s pout. 

“That was so mean,” Bokuto shook his head. 

“It was hilarious, though,” Kuroo smiled, finally able to get out of Bokuto’s arms. “I’m going to see Sho, just in case he isn’t awake yet. There’s some food in the fridge, take whatever you like for breakfast.” 

“Why don’t the three of us go out to breakfast, though?” Bokuto asked, stretching and rubbing his eyes. “I’ll pay.” 

Kuroo looked at the clock and sighed. “Honestly I would love to go out to breakfast, but we should get ready. Oikawa’s game is the first one and it starts at ten thirty. He’ll lose his mind if he doesn’t see us the second he gets on the court for warm-ups. Me and Sho will just have cereal and call it good. Shoyo will want to run around the court for a few minutes like a wild child anyway.” 

Bokuto pouted. “Fine, but can we actually go out to breakfast one day? All three of us? Cause I think that’d be really fun.” 

“Maybe someday,” Kuroo shrugged. “You’re welcome to have cereal with us right now, though.” 

“I’ll get bowls while you go wake him up!” 

“Thanks, they're in the cabinet next to the fridge,” Kuroo nodded as he walked down the hallway. 

As Kuroo heard the clink of bowls being set onto the table, he allowed himself to imagine the what-ifs. What if Mika had stayed with him instead of turning to Daisho? The two of them could’ve been a happy family with Shoyo. But instead... 

He shook his head. No. She’d never wanted Shoyo, there wasn‘t any reason to believe that she’d changed over the past six years. He was just getting wrapped up in the thoughts of most likely seeing her again. He was doing fine as a single father, and he didn’t need Mika. 

He took a deep breath, put his hand on Shoyo’s doorknob and opened the door, unsurprised to see the kid already awake and playing with toys on his floor. “Good morning, Daddy!” he grinned. 

“Morning, kiddo. I bet you’re having a blast playing in here, but we’ve got a guest here for breakfast.” 

“Really?!” Shoyo was shooting past Kuroo before he could say more. 

He heard a startled yelp come from the kitchen a few seconds later and he was ninety-nine percent sure that Shoyo had just tackled Bokuto around the legs. As he tended to do. He heard them talk indistinctly and when he got out to the kitchen, Shoyo was kneeling on one of the chairs so he could reach the table. 

“Bo’s here!” Shoyo said to Kuroo, smiling brightly. 

“I know,” Kuroo nodded. “I’m glad you’re happy to see him.” 

“He got breakfast ready!” 

Kuroo laughed when he saw all the cereal they had lined up on the table like a buffet. “Wow, that’s... really something, Bokuto.” 

“Hey, I think it looks better than all of it being crammed into your pantry,” Bokuto shrugged. “Also, why do you have so much?!” 

There were at least twelve boxes of different kinds of cereal sitting on the table, a majority of them not even opened. “I dunno, we just... get a box every time we go shopping. And I don’t really eat, I just have coffee in the mornings more often than not.” 

Bokuto narrowed his eyes. “You need to eat breakfast in the morning, Kuroo!” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure I’ll get into the habit eventually. Starting with today, I guess, cause you’re here and you made... _such_ a great variety of cereal.” Kuroo tried not to laugh. 

_“You_ are the one with a million different kinds!” Bokuto waved his hands towards them and huffed, pointedly turning to face Shoyo. “Now, kiddo, what kind of cereal do you want?” 

“Choco Puffs!” The boy bounced in his seat, reaching eagerly for the box. 

“Do you want me to pour it for you?” Bokuto asked, noticing how unsteady the boy’s small hands were when he grasped the box. 

“No thanks!” Shoyo shook his head. “I got it!” 

He did not, in fact, “got it.” 

The Choco Puffs went all over the table, only part of them making it into Shoyo’s bowl. 

Kuroo was already eating his own cereal, calmly watching Bokuto frantically try to keep the Choco Puffs from falling off the table. He was a little amazed that Bokuto was an elementary school teacher; he should’ve known better than to let Shoyo try to pour his own cereal. 

Once the Choco Puff ordeal was taken care of, Bokuto grabbed the milk. “I wanna do it!” Shoyo made grabby hands at the carton. 

“Absolutely not,” Bokuto shook his head. “We’ve just seen how well you can handle a cereal box, little man, and this is a lot heavier.” 

“I can do it, though!” Shoyo pouted. 

Bokuto looked for a moment like he’d fold, but he shook his head. “Nope, I’m pouring your milk.” 

He poured a decent amount into Shoyo’s bowl and then grabbed a bowl for himself to pour some Choco Puffs into it. 

Kuroo smirked over his shoulder as he put his bowl into the sink, and Bokuto playfully glared at him. “What? Because I’m an _adult_ I’m not allowed to like Choco Puffs?” He stuck his tongue out. 

“I didn’t even say anything. Do you want some coffee? Because you’re an _adult?”_

An empty cereal box smacked him in the back and he cackled. 

“You are so rude to me!” Bokuto whined. “Shoyo, make your dad be nice to me!” 

Kuroo turned around, biting his lip. “Sorry if it’s too much, Bokuto.” He really didn’t mean to push his teasing too far. 

“No, no, it’s okay!” Bokuto’s eyes shot up to Kuroo’s face. He actually looked concerned that he’d crossed a line. “I mean, I’ve been friends with Akaashi for a long time, and he’s got a huge store of cutting remarks for me. I’m used to it. I guess we... haven’t been friends that long so we haven’t picked up on everything about each other yet.” 

“Yeah...” Kuroo rubbed the back of his neck. “But really, do you want some coffee?” 

“I do, thanks,” Bokuto smiled. 

As Kuroo started the coffee maker, Bokuto turned to his Choco Puffs. 

“Daddy, can I go play?!” Shoyo asked, milk dribbling down his chin as he’d just drank the last of his milk from the bowl. 

Kuroo smiled fondly at his messy son. “Clean yourself off first and then you can play for...” He glanced at the time on his phone. “Fifteen minutes, okay? Then we have to get ready to see Uncle Tooru’s game.” 

Shoyo wiped his face on his shirt and sprinted off to his room to play with his toys again. Kuroo shook his head and grabbed Shoyo’s bowl to put it in the sink. “This kid, I swear...” 

Bokuto blinked. “The game’s not for another hour and a half, though?” 

“You always have to account for _something_ to happen with kids, trust me,” Kuroo shrugged. “And honestly the fifteen minutes is a buffer. I’ll probably let him play for twenty minutes. It just depends. I just know that we have to be at the arena at least fifteen minutes before the game starts or Oikawa will literally cry.” 

Bokuto snorted. “Seriously?” 

“Oh, yes. He’s wanted me to be at all of his games since he started playing professionally, but most of them are when I’m at school. So I have to watch the reruns on TV, and honestly that’s no fun because Oikawa always calls me to give me a play-by-play anyway. Thankfully he stopped doing that when Iwaizumi realized it kind of annoyed me. So I try to go to weekend games whenever they happen.” 

“Oikawa’s a character, isn’t he?” 

Kuroo rolled his eyes. “You have no idea. He’s a great friend, but he’s so dramatic. Kenma doesn’t like him very much; I think they’re too similar.” 

Bokuto looked so confused at that statement, when Kuroo turned around to give him his coffee. 

He chuckled, sitting down next to him. “Just trust me on that. You haven’t met Oikawa yet, but you know how calculating Kenma is, don’t you? It’s scary. And when Oikawa focuses, he’s just as calculating. He’s just a lot more approachable than Kenma is.” 

They sat in silence for a few moments while Bokuto ate his Choco Puffs and Kuroo scrolled through his phone. 

“Hey, Kuroo, are you afraid to see them at the arena?” Bokuto asked quietly. 

Kuroo’s scrolling stopped and he sighed. He took a sip of his coffee before answering. “I guess a little bit... I mean... It’s just going to be hard. Yeah. I’m scared.” 

“You won’t be going alone, okay?” Bokuto put his hand on Kuroo’s forearm in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. “I’ll be there with you and Sho, and I’ll figure out a way to avoid them if we see them, okay?” 

Kuroo smiled. “Thanks, Bokuto. I really am glad that you’re coming with me. I’m not sure how well I’d be able to handle this by myself.” 

“Of course,” Bokuto nodded. “I wouldn’t want you to have to deal with this by yourself.” 

The atmosphere was turning sappy and – dare he think it? – romantic, and Kuroo didn’t like where _that_ was going. He coughed, breaking the tension and abruptly got up. “Um, I’m gonna make sure Sho’s got some clean clothes. Um, do you just want to meet us at the arena? You probably want to get changed, huh?” 

“Oh, uh...” Bokuto bit his lip. “Yeah, yep. Sure. Sounds good. Send me the address, yeah?” 

“Mmhmm,” Kuroo nodded. “I’ll let you know where to meet, too.” 

“Okay, I’ll see you later then.” 

Kuroo wanted to scream at himself for how he was acting. He wasn’t sure if it was nerves or if he just needed to gather his thoughts together because they’d been going in a dangerous direction, but... 

He took a deep breath and let it out before going to Shoyo’s room. 

He opened the door and saw Shoyo playing with his toys just like he’d been doing earlier, and he smiled. At least his son was pretty predictable. “Hey, bud, we’re going to start getting ready in five minutes, okay? I’ll be back to help you get your clothes.” 

“I can get them, Daddy!” Shoyo said, immediately going to his dresser to pick out an outfit. 

“Okay, sounds good, kiddo.” 

Kuroo closed the door behind him and went to his own room to get dressed for a game. He decided that a red hoodie and some dark wash jeans would be appropriate enough. He slipped his clothes on and made sure that his phone was charged enough to get him through the volleyball game. He really didn’t want to be alone at the arena with Shoyo. He was glad that Bokuto was going to be there with him. 

Within ten minutes he and Shoyo were on their way to the station to watch Oikawa beat the other team’s ass. Shoyo happily talked about how cool his Uncle Tooru was, and Kuroo was so happy that Shoyo had such good role models in his life. 

It didn’t matter that Mika wasn’t a part of it. 

They got off at the station to the arena and Kuroo texted Bokuto to let him know. 

_Kuroo: We’re heading to the main arena right now. Game doesn’t start for another forty-five minutes so we’ll be wandering, lemme know when you get here._

He slid his phone back in his pocket and held Shoyo’s hand as the kid fawned over all the people around him. 

“Can we go see Unc-Tooru, Daddy?” he asked eagerly. 

“Maybe, bud. Let me text Uncle Haji and ask if it’d be okay.” 

Iwaizumi was the resident sports medicine technician for Oikawa’s team, and he was present at all their games for obvious reasons. Kuroo found it simultaneously sickeningly sweet and absolutely ridiculous that Iwaizumi had become a sports med tech just because of Oikawa’s knee. He showed his love for his boyfriend in the most ridiculous ways, but honestly Kuroo was a little jealous of what they had. 

_Iwaizumi: Sorry, they’re in a pre-game meeting right now, we’ll definitely be able to squeeze him in after the game tho._

_Kuroo: NP, thanks._

“Sorry, bud, you can’t see him before the game. They’re doing important volleyball stuff.” 

Shoyo pouted, but he was quickly distracted by someone cool down on the court. “Daddy! Look down there!” 

“I see,” Kuroo nodded, smiling softly. 

He’d never tire of Shoyo’s unrivaled enthusiasm for everything around him. Maybe the spark for him to love volleyball more than soccer had hope of coming to life. 

They wandered around the arena, hand-in-hand since Kuroo didn’t want to lose him in the crowd. They’d gotten there early enough that there weren’t too many people around, which Kuroo was somewhat grateful for. That way he could keep an eye out for Daisho and Mika, though he wasn’t entirely sure if they looked the same as six years prior. What if they’d dyed their hair? 

He shook his head. No, they couldn’t have changed that much, surely. 

His phone pinged with a text, and he smiled when he saw it was from Bokuto. 

_Bokuto: Hey, hey, hey, just got here. Where u at?_

_Kuroo: By the main stage. U should be able to spot me, there still aren’t too many people around._

He was smiling ear-to-ear and he couldn’t wait to see Bokuto again. He hoped that Bokuto hadn’t realized why he’d kind of kicked him out of his apartment. He wasn’t ready to admit how much the other man affected him. 

“Well isn’t that a disgusting look on your face.” A horrendously slimy voice that sent chills up Kuroo’s spine came from just in front of him. 

His head snapped up so fast he could’ve sworn he gave himself whiplash, his smile turning into a look of panic just as quickly. 

“Now, now, Suguru, that wasn’t very nice,” Mika said, gently slapping Daisho’s shoulder. 

Kuroo grasped his son’s hand tighter, completely frozen. “Daddy?” Shoyo looked up at him. 

“Mika...” Kuroo’s voice was tight, as he looked at her. 

_And the baby in her arms._


	9. Chapter 9

Kuroo felt every muscle in his body get ready to _bolt._

His heart raced; he could feel himself get lightheaded as countless questions and scenarios circled around his mind. 

Every instinct he had told him to get away from them as quickly as possible, but he _couldn’t move._

The tiny squeeze on his hand brought him back out of his head, and he looked down at his son. He had a curious look in his eyes, mixed with concern, and Kuroo took a deep breath. He’d deal with this like an adult, for Shoyo’s sake. 

“Good to see you two again,” he tried to smile at them. “It’s been a long time.” 

Daisho’s smile still gave Kuroo the creeps just the same as it had done the first time he’d seen it. Apparently Shoyo didn’t like it either, since he hid behind Kuroo’s legs. He’d _never_ seen Shoyo do that before. He’d always been eager to meet new people. 

“Aww, Shoyo, you’ve grown so much!” Mika cooed at the boy. 

Shoyo’s eyes were wide with fear as Mika said his name, and Kuroo was amazed at his son’s instincts. He’d never really been one to adhere to the “stranger danger” adage, but Kuroo was proud that he was right now. At least he had some sense of what a terrible person was like. 

“Well, since I see the two of you have a family of your _own,_ ” Kuroo looked pointedly at the baby in Mika’s arms, “I won’t bother you. Congratulations on making the team, Daisho, and I hope that I can see you out on the court soon. And I hope that we can forget everything that happened between us. Maybe we can start over and actually be friends.” He didn’t believe a word he was saying, and he hoped that Daisho could tell that. 

Daisho’s eyes flashed, and he smirked. “I hope you know that text I sent you wasn’t a suggestion, you overgrown rooster.” 

“Oh, a threat, then?” Kuroo scoffed. “As if you could possibly do anything. I’m his sole provider. I am his father and there’s nothing you can do about it. I’m not going to do anything about your family, so don’t you _dare_ try to touch mine.” 

With that, he turned around and came face-to-face with Bokuto. His eyes were wide and frantic, and he was panting like he’d sprinted across the arena. An idea popped into Kuroo’s head, and it probably wasn’t a very smart one, but the adrenaline was pumping and he had to sell it. He just hoped that Bokuto would go along with it and not hate him for the rest of his life for this. 

“Hey, babe,” he said, kissing Bokuto’s cheek. “Glad you could make it. Let’s go.” He grabbed Bokuto’s hand with his free one and led him away, leaving Daisho and Mika behind. 

Once they were sitting in the stands above the court Oikawa was going to play on, Kuroo finally let go of Bokuto’s hand. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry about that,” he said, looking at Bokuto. “It was the first thing I thought of and I just...” 

“No, it’s fine,” Bokuto’s face was completely flushed and he didn’t meet Kuroo’s eyes. “Um... Is there anything else I can do?” 

Kuroo was shaken up, Bokuto could tell, but he wasn’t sure what to do about it. His eyes kept darting around and he had his arms crossed tightly in front of him, his fingers digging into his biceps. He bounced his leg, his nervous energy unsettling to Bokuto. 

The panic finally caught up to Kuroo when Bokuto asked him that and he realized that he was freaking out a lot more than he originally thought he was. “Watch Shoyo for me for a bit? I need just a little time.” 

“Of course. But are you okay? Really?” he asked, his brows furrowing. 

“I’ll deal with it,” Kuroo waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. And thanks.” 

Kuroo walked away and felt Bokuto’s eyes bore into his back. He was grateful Bokuto was there; he couldn’t afford to have a full-on panic attack in front of his son. 

He took out his phone and sent a text to Iwaizumi. 

_Kuroo: r u done with the meeting??_

_Iwaizumi: yeah, just doing some checking with the coach for some stuff. what's up?_

_Kuroo: THEY’RE here and I ran into them and they have a kid and I don’t know what to do and I'm kinda freakin out._

_Iwaizumi: u fuckin seriuos??? where r u rn???_

_Kuroo: omw to the player area entrance, can u meet me there?_

Iwaizumi didn’t respond, but Kuroo took that to mean that he was coming to meet him. He really fucking hoped so. Iwaizumi was one person Kuroo trusted to help him through this. 

As soon as he got to the entrance, he saw Iwaizumi, but Oikawa was with him. 

His brows furrowed. “What are you doing here?” he asked Oikawa. 

“What do you think? Iwa-chan told me you texted him and not me, which I am very offended at, by the way. But I’m not going to let that snake ruin this for you. Where is he? I’m going to punch him in his goddamn face,” Oikawa growled. 

Kuroo let out a shaky laugh. “Please don’t. I don’t want you to get in trouble for punching a teammate. Or... a future teammate, I suppose.” 

“You said that they have a fucking kid?” Iwaizumi butted in. “As in a child?” 

Oikawa looked absolutely _livid_ about that and it made Kuroo feel a little better, like he wasn’t overreacting. 

“Yeah... I...” Kuroo bit his lip, hot tears streaming from his eyes without much warning. He pressed the palms of his hands to his eyes, growling. “Why?! Why am I so... _Fuck!_ I can’t do this. I can’t. I’m sorry, Oikawa. It’s...” 

He felt Oikawa gently grasp his shoulders to ground him. “Hey,” his voice was soft. “I understand. Go grab your mystery man and Shoyo and get them out of here. We’ll take Shoyo off your hands for a bit after the game if you need us to.” 

“Really?” Kuroo sniffled and wiped his eyes. 

“Of course. What are friends for?” 

“I think I need time sooner than when the game’s over. I’ll text Yaku or Kai and see if one of them can take him.” 

“Okay. But if you need us, we’re here, you know that.” 

“I know. Thanks,” Kuroo smiled, giving Oikawa a crushing hug. “Kick their asses and call me to tell me all about it later.” 

“Will do,” Oikawa said, returning the force of Kuroo’s hug. “And make sure you’re taking care of yourself, got it? If you’re wallowing by yourself when I call you, I hope you realize I’m breaking into your apartment to make sure you’re okay.” 

Kuroo laughed lightly. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine.” 

After the two other men had gone back to the court, Kuroo got out his phone and immediately called Yaku. 

Thankfully his old friend answered on the third ring. “Hey, Kuroo! You never call me!” 

“Hey, Yaku,” he licked his lips. “I... I really hate to ask, but can you watch Shoyo for me? Today? Like, right now?” 

Yaku was quiet for a moment. “You’re lucky I don’t have anything going on today. You want me to pick him up or will you drop him off?” 

“I’ll drop him off. And really, thank you so much, you’re a lifesaver,” Kuroo was overwhelmed with emotions and his voice got shaky. 

“You would never just drop this on me without a reason, I know that,” Yaku said. “I’m not going to ask, but make sure that you take care of yourself, okay?” 

“I will,” Kuroo bit his lip, trying not to be overwhelmed by his emotions again. “I’ll let you know when we’re on the way.” 

“Sounds good. I’ll see you soon.” 

They hung up and Kuroo leaned against the wall to take a moment and gather himself. He really was a goddamn mess. He wasn’t sure what he’d do without his friends. They’d helped him so much and honestly he wouldn’t have made it this far without them. 

He wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to tear Shoyo away from the volleyball game, but he hoped that the prospect of seeing Uncle Mori was more exciting than a game. It had been a while since they’d seen Yaku. 

He took a deep breath and made his way back to where Shoyo and Bokuto were sitting. Thankfully he didn’t see Mika and Daisho anywhere, or he was pretty sure he would’ve just had a complete and utter meltdown right then and there. 

“Daddy, where’d you go?” Shoyo asked when he saw Kuroo walk up to them. “Unc-Tooru’s so cool! Look!” He pointed down to the court where Oikawa was warming up, but Kuroo could tell he was a little stiff, probably because he was worried. He hoped that Oikawa didn’t worry too much about him to affect his performance on the court. 

He smiled in what he hoped was his normal fashion. “Sorry, bud, but I got a message from Uncle Mori.” 

Shoyo’s head whipped around. “Unc-Mori?!” 

“Yeah, he said that he wanted to see you.” 

He bolted right up to Kuroo and bounced on his toes. “I wanna go see Unc-Mori!” 

Kuroo laughed and picked him up, putting him on his shoulders. “Alright, then, let’s go see Uncle Mori!” 

Bokuto blinked, wondering what just happened. Kuroo’s eyes were a little red, but he looked calmer now. _But he couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss Kuroo had given him._

Like, what was that all about? And _“babe”??_ Bokuto had almost fainted. 

“Come on, Bokuto, you come with.” 

“Oh, okay,” he nodded and followed them. 

They went to the station and on the train ride, Kuroo was silent and Shoyo was practically vibrating with excitement. Bokuto kept an eye on Shoyo for Kuroo, considering he was practically a corpse at this point. Seeing his ex must’ve really done a number on him, something that Bokuto couldn’t comprehend. 

He’d been right about Daisho looking like a rat, though. He just didn’t get why Kuroo’s ex had seen anything in him. And _why she had a kid._

They pulled into a station about twenty minutes later and Kuroo got up. “This is our stop. Let’s go see Uncle Mori.” 

They walked for a few minutes to an apartment and as soon as they got into the lobby, Shoyo bounded over to a young man with sandy hair. 

“Unc-Mori!” he squealed, wrapping his arms around Yaku’s legs. 

“Hey there, squirt,” Yaku patted Shoyo’s head. “Are you ready for some fun?” 

“Yeah!” he grinned. 

Yaku looked over at Kuroo, an eyebrow quirked. 

Kuroo bit his lip. “How long?” 

“Overnight if need be,” Yaku shrugged. 

“Thank you,” Kuroo’s shoulders sagged in relief. 

“That kind of day already, huh? It’s not even noon.” 

“Yeah, I know,” Kuroo sighed. “But yeah, it’s been... a week, actually. In any case, I’ll come pick him up around nine tonight?” 

“I’ll drop him off back at home. And I will let him sleep over if you need him to,” Yaku shook his head. “Just let me know when you want him back. Sho, how’d you like to see Uncle Yuki, too?” 

“Unc-Yuki!” 

"Aren’t you going to give Daddy a hug before I leave?” Kuroo said, leaning down. 

“Okay!” Shoyo wrapped his arms around Kuroo’s neck and squeezed him. 

Kuroo cradled his son in his arms for a few seconds and kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you later, kiddo. I love you.” 

“Love you too, Daddy!” Shoyo grinned. 

Bokuto felt somewhat like an outsider, but he had hung back, unsure if he should be a part of it. Normally he wouldn’t mind, but something about Kuroo right now was fragile, and it looked like he needed old friends, instead of some guy he’d known for only a couple days. 

Bokuto bit his lip and wondered if he should just leave. 

“Hey, what are you getting all sulky for?” Kuroo asked as he walked up to Bokuto, smirking and bumping his shoulder playfully. 

“I’m not!” Bokuto shook his head. “I mean... I did kinda want to watch the game, honestly.” 

Kuroo chuckled nervously. “Um... I guess if you want to go back, you can, but... I’m not.” 

“Kuroo, what happened before I got there?” 

He sighed, running a hand through his hair and messing it up even more than it already was. “Ugh, not here in the lobby of an apartment building. There’s a park around here, let’s go there.” 

Bokuto nodded, wondering what on earth could be going through Kuroo’s head right now. He grabbed Bokuto’s hand, which startled him a little especially after Kuroo had kissed him, but he didn’t mind it. Kuroo apparently didn’t just get his touchiness from Oikawa; he was a touchy person when he was unnerved. 

Their walk to the park was pretty quiet, and when they got there, it was empty. Which was weird for a Saturday morning, but neither were complaining. Kuroo walked over to the swings, immediately getting on one. 

Bokuto got on the one next to him and they both sat for a few moments before Kuroo started pumping his legs lightly. Bokuto just sat and used his feet on the ground to propel himself back and forth slightly, waiting for Kuroo to talk. 

“She had a fucking baby, Bokuto,” Kuroo hissed through clenched teeth. “With fucking Daisho. She committed to him. And yet she couldn’t do the same for me and Shoyo.” 

Ah. That’s what got him so twisted up. Bokuto wasn’t sure what to say, so he kept quiet. 

“I just... I’m so _mad!_ Like where does she get off doing what she did to me, and then having _another_ kid but _keeping_ this one with Daisho?! It’s not fucking _fair.”_

Oh, he’s going that route. 

“I was the one who had to do it myself, I was the one who had to suffer through having a kid, barely an adult myself, and I just...” Kuroo’s voice broke, and he dragged his feet to stop swinging. “I’m fucking _pissed,_ Bokuto. I don’t know what to do.” 

Bokuto bit his lip. Obviously this was a whole huge thing to Kuroo, and he didn’t want to make it any worse. 

“I bet you’re thinking that I should just get over it, right?” Kuroo laughed slightly, scraping the dirt with his shoe. “It’s not a big deal. Logically I _know _that, but... like, it _is._ To me, anyway. And like... I know what she did is all in the past, again, I _know_ that, but my brain doesn’t want to accept it.” __

____

____

Bokuto nodded. “If it’s a big deal to you, it’s a big deal, Kuroo. I don’t get to judge what you think is big or small.” 

“What do you mean?” Kuroo blinked. 

“I used to get upset a lot over the stupidest things when I was in high school,” Bokuto shrugged. “I feel things a lot more... intensely than a lot of people, I think. I’ve always been considered too loud, too much, ever since I was in middle school. People have said that to my face. And it hurt. So I promised myself that I’d never put someone down like that. I’d only try to lift people up, because that’s what I think it means to be a good friend. I don’t want other people to feel the way I did back then.” 

Kuroo stared at Bokuto, who fidgeted on the swing. “Wow, I didn’t... I don’t know, I didn’t think you’d say something that... profound.” 

“Yeah, I try to put off extreme dumbass energy so people are surprised when I say something smart,” Bokuto laughed slightly. 

“That’s not what I meant,” Kuroo shook his head. “I mean, you’re a teacher, you’re obviously smart enough.” 

“Not as smart as a high school chemistry teacher.” 

“Hey, you have a different skillset, doesn’t mean you’re not as smart as I am.” 

“Oh so now you’re saying that you’re a genius?” 

Kuroo snorted. “I didn’t say that! Don’t put words in my mouth, you asshole.” 

Bokuto laughed. “Kuroo, you know... what can I do to help you? Like, I dunno, I could punch Daisho in the face. Or Mika. Or their baby. I’d punch anyone in the face if it would help you get over this.” 

Kuroo pursed his lips, trying not to laugh. “Wow, that’s a... a bold declaration, but what is up with everyone wanting to punch Daisho? Oikawa said the same thing. Not about Mika and their kid, but...” Laughter escaped his lips anyway. 

“I told you last night, he looks like a rat and I hate his face and I would gladly let my fist meet it,” Bokuto shrugged. 

“But you said that comparing him to a rat is offensive to the rats,” Kuroo reminded him. 

“Ah, you’re right!” Bokuto grabbed his head and scratched it. “So... He looks like a toilet bowl.” 

The laugh that escaped Kuroo’s mouth was so loud, it echoed through the park. “What?!” 

“You heard me,” Bokuto smirked. 

“That doesn’t even make any sense!” 

“Does it matter if it does?” 

“I mean... I guess not, but...” Kuroo shook his head, trying to rein in his laughter. “God, why is it when I’m around you I just have a good time?” 

“We’re soulmates, bro,” Bokuto shrugged. His eyes widened and he backtracked, trying not to seem like he actually thought that. “Platonically, of course.” 

“Of course,” Kuroo nodded seriously. “Oh, but... I really am sorry about the whole ‘babe’ thing and kissing you. It was the first thing I thought of and I panicked. I don’t really know... why I did it. I guess I just wanted to pretend for a second.” 

“Oh, no, really, that’s fine,” Bokuto shook his head. “I mean... If you need me to be your boyfriend in the future at games, like, if that would make it bearable, I’m willing to do that for you.” 

“Yeah? Let’s go out on a date, then!” Kuroo stood up off the swing. “I bet I could beat you at DDR.” 

Bokuto felt himself smirk and he followed Kuroo. “As if. I am a master.” 

“Uh-huh. I won’t believe it til I see it,” Kuroo rolled his eyes. “Let’s go. Also... would it be weird if we held hands? I mean, for our fake dating to be believable, we’ve gotta act like we at least like each other, right?” 

Bokuto’s heart flipped at those words and he almost said, “I don’t have to pretend to like you.” 

But obviously he couldn’t do that, this was specifically to spite Kuroo’s ex and her boyfriend.

“Sure, I guess holding hands isn’t the worst thing in the world,” Bokuto playfully rolled his eyes like it was a chore. 

Kuroo’s smile was genuine and it made Bokuto question how good of an idea this was. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to keep his real feelings under wraps if Kuroo smiled at him like that. 


	10. Chapter 10

Kuroo quickly learned that Bokuto didn’t care what people thought about him. They held hands the whole way to the arcade, and Kuroo was very aware of the people staring at them on the train and as they walked down the street. Bokuto seemed to be buzzing with excitement, though, and it was contagious. Kuroo soon found himself not minding the stares. All that mattered was that he was with Bokuto. He was starting to think that maybe Bokuto had been right, that they were soulmates. 

“So, DDR, right? How are we gonna do it? Are we gonna do it two pads at a time or one pad for each of us?” Bokuto asked when they got to the arcade, a huge grin on his face. 

“You can do two pads at a time?” Kuroo’s eyes widened. 

“Yeah, dude, have you never done it that way before? If so, I’m _definitely_ going to win.” 

Bokuto had practically yanked his arm out of its socket when he started pulling him toward the Dance Dance Revolution pad in the arcade. 

Amazingly no one was on it, and Bokuto immediately jumped up and started messing around with the settings. “Sorry, mind if I go first?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at Kuroo. 

“By all means,” Kuroo waved his hand. “Go for it.” 

“Sweet!” Bokuto grinned, turning back to the machine. “Do you need a handicap or anything, bro?” 

“As if,” Kuroo snorted. “I bet I can beat you.” 

“You keep saying that, but I don’t think you realize who you’re going up against,” Bokuto smirked. “Let’s see here... Ah! This song’s super fun!” 

He selected a song and the game started up. Bokuto bounced on the arrows, making sure they all worked the way they were supposed to. The machine counted down and suddenly arrows started coming from the bottom of the screen at light speed. 

Kuroo could barely keep up, but Bokuto was _flying_ across both of the pads, hitting perfects, with no break in his combo. He even added crazy arm movements and spins, which made Kuroo suspect that Bokuto had done this on a regular basis. 

He found himself entranced with the way Bokuto moved, especially his _ass._ Kuroo had never really considered himself an ass man, but _oh boy_ he was now. 

Before he knew it, the song was over and Bokuto turned around and leaned on the bar at the back of the machine. “What do you think, sweet cheeks?” He winked at Kuroo. 

Kuroo’s mind went blank as he looked up at Bokuto’s huge smile. “Uhh... great. You did great. I don’t think I can beat that. Holy shit, Bo, you got the high score?!” 

He was looking over Bokuto’s shoulder at the screen of the game, unaware of how Bokuto’s heart had skipped a beat at the nickname. Something about Kuroo calling him “Bo” made him blush. 

“Oh, yeah, I beat the high score again,” Bokuto shrugged, like it was no big deal. 

“Y’know what, I’m not even going to try to beat you at this,” Kuroo shook his head. “Let’s find something I’ll beat you at.” 

“What? That’s no fun, Kuroo!” Bokuto shook his head and grabbed Kuroo’s wrist. “Come on, I’ll let you do it with just one pad. I’ll even let you do whatever song you want!” 

Kuroo sighed. “Fine, I guess I can try. How will we know if I beat you though?” 

Bokuto looked at Kuroo with a raised eyebrow “Oh, you can’t. I just want to see you dance.” 

Kuroo rolled his eyes. “Let’s do a versus. You’ll definitely beat me, but let’s do it for fun.” 

“Alright, if you really want to,” Bokuto shrugged. “You sure you want to be humiliated in front of all these people?” He gestured to the small crowd that had come to watch Bokuto’s performance. 

Kuroo blinked. “I genuinely did not notice them. But, it’s whatever. I don’t care. I know I’m gonna have fun with you.” 

“All right! Let’s do this!” Bokuto held his hand up for a high five and Kuroo slapped it. 

As Bokuto messed with the settings to put it on versus mode, Kuroo was surprised to find that he didn’t mind the spectators. He was probably about to make a fool out of himself, but he was amazed to realize that _he didn’t care._ He couldn’t remember the last time he wasn’t conscious of everyone around him and what they might think of him. 

“You good with this song?” Bokuto pulled Kuroo out of his thoughts by patting him on the shoulder. 

“Oh, yeah, this is fine,” Kuroo shrugged. “Put me on expert level too.” 

“If you’re sure,” Bokuto smirked. “If you fall on your ass I’m just gonna laugh and not help you up.” 

“I thought we were on a date!” Kuroo gasped, faking offense. 

“I mean, we are, but like... I’m still in it to win it. Let’s go!” 

The song started and Kuroo was amazed at how much quicker the arrows moved when it was him trying to follow them. He spared a glance over at Bokuto, who was doing fine and not even breaking a sweat, pulling off a huge combo. Meanwhile Kuroo kept missing and he couldn’t hold a combo for more than three moves. 

About halfway through the song, Kuroo’s foot slipped and _thank god_ for the bars on the back of the machine, because he caught himself breathlessly. He laughed at his stupidity and just watched Bokuto dominate the game. 

Bokuto had a smirk on his face and Kuroo was sure he’d seen what had happened from the corner of his eye, but he was still going to win. 

The performance ended with Bokuto having nothing but perfects and three great grades. Kuroo had one perfect, seven greats, and the rest were boos and misses. 

“And you thought you could beat me,” Bokuto laughed. “You _suck._ ” 

“Yeah, well, it’s been a long time since I’ve played,” Kuroo rolled his eyes. “Besides, how the hell are you so good?” 

“Oh, me and Sakura compete against each other here all the time. All the high scores on the board are ours.” 

Kuroo’s jaw dropped. “You are a dirty cheater.” 

“I am not! You’re the one who wanted to play DDR before we even got here! Anyway, let’s go find something you’ll be good at. Since you’re a sore loser.” 

Kuroo snorted but they hopped off the stand and the crowd dispersed. Their hands naturally found each other, fingers linking. Kuroo started leading Bokuto this time, just wandering to find something he might find enjoyable. 

“Oh! Bokuto! Let’s do that!” He pointed to a claw machine. He dragged the other man to the machine and smiled. “They have cute stuffed animals! Which one do you want?” 

Bokuto snorted. “Kuroo, this makes me feel like a high school girl.” 

“Too bad, fucking pick a stuffed animal or I’m just gonna get one for myself,” Kuroo didn’t take his eyes off the toys in the encasement. 

“Fine, fine,” Bokuto shook his head and glanced into the game. “I think that owl’s kinda cool.” 

“Gotcha,” Kuroo nodded and let go of Bokuto’s hand to look through the glass at all angles he could. Bokuto just watched him silently for a few moments, finding his concentration adorable. He slid some coins into the slot and, with expert precision, nabbed the owl that Bokuto had pointed out in one try. “Here you go,” he smiled as he handed the toy to Bokuto. 

His jaw dropped as he hugged the owl. “Okay, that was actually super cool. I’ve never seen someone able to get what they want on the first try. Especially since it was kinda covered by other toys.” 

Kuroo shrugged. “A weird talent I have. Now you try. I want that stuffed dog that looks like Tawny.” 

“Hey, that’s in an even weirder position than the owl was!” Bokuto whined. “That’s not fair!” 

“Well, you made me make a fool of myself on DDR. This is my payback,” Kuroo shrugged, smirking. 

Bokuto pouted, which was the cutest thing ever, and Kuroo just watched him. He stuck his tongue out as he moved the claw, smooshing his face against the glass. “C’mon, c’mon,” he muttered as if pleading to the machine. 

When the claw clamped down, it was on the tail of a shark toy that was nowhere near the dog toy that Kuroo had asked for. He held down his laugh as Bokuto curled into himself, disappointedly looking at Kuroo. “Sorry,” he said quietly. 

“No, it’s okay,” Kuroo waved his hand and grabbed the shark from the collection area. “I love it. But dude, you weren’t even close to the dog.” 

“I was trying to get the black cat for you,” Bokuto pointed to a plush that was farther in the back of the game. “Lemme try again!” 

“Bokuto, no, it’s fine. Really. I love this shark.” Kuroo cradled the toy in his arms. “Mostly because you got it for me. I mean, at least you got something on your first try. Why were you trying to get me the cat, though?” 

“I dunno. You just kinda have cat energy.” 

Kuroo blinked. “Thanks, I guess?” he laughed. “Come on, let’s go do something that we’ll both probably suck at! Oooh! Let’s go do those car racing games!” 

Bokuto shrugged. “Sure, let’s go.” 

They climbed into the seats in front of steering wheels and glanced at each other before giggling. “We look really stupid, don’t we?” Kuroo asked, looking down at the stuffed animals in both of their laps. 

“Meh, I mean we’ve been making fools of ourselves this whole time, might as well go all the way!” Bokuto laughed. “Have you played these before?” 

“Maybe like once, I doubt I’ll be any better than you,” Kuroo smirked. “Let’s do this.” 

They both put in coins at the same time to make sure they’d be in the same race. After selecting cars, Kuroo chose a red Ferrari, and Bokuto chose a burnt orange Corvette, they found themselves at the starting line. 

“Get ready to eat my dust, bro,” Kuroo said as he revved the engine of his car. 

“I’ll be waiting at the finish line to rub my overwhelming victory in your face,” Bokuto bantered back. 

As soon as they started the game, they realized that both of them were absolutely horrible at it. 

“Shit. Oh, fuck! Why?!” Bokuto kept mumbling curses under his breath as he ran into things constantly, apparently not able to steer a car at such high speeds. 

Kuroo wasn’t faring much better, as he was second to last, but at least he could get around corners without bashing his car into anything. 

Kuroo finished a one-lap race around a course with the lap record being two minutes and seventeen seconds an amazing five minutes and twenty-three seconds in. Bokuto somehow came into the finish line almost a minute later. 

Kuroo watched Bokuto try to steer around the corners without crashing to no avail. His shoulders were practically hugging his neck and Kuroo leaned his chin on his palm. “You doing okay there, Bokuto?” 

“No I'm fucking not!” Bokuto seethed through clenched teeth. “Shit! Balls!” 

Kuroo smiled. He’d never heard Bokuto curse this much and for some reason he found it super endearing. 

When Bokuto finally crossed the finish line, he leaned back in the chair, his body finally releasing all the tension he’d been holding. “Jesus Christ, we are never playing this game again,” he sighed, hugging his new owl plushie to his chest. 

“Bro, do you have a license?” Kuroo asked jokingly. 

Bokuto bit his lips before answering. “Yeah.” 

Kuroo’s eyes widened. “Holy shit, I’m never getting into a car with you behind the wheel.” 

“Y’know, that’s fair, after seeing what I just did,” Bokuto laughed, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. 

“Wouldn’t want you killing my kid, either.” 

Bokuto opened his eyes and looked over at Kuroo. “That’s the first time you’ve mentioned him since we started this date.” 

“Oh.” Kuroo bit his lip. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to kill the vibe.” 

“No, that’s not what I meant, I guess just... It was nice to see you letting loose, but Shoyo is a huge part of your life. And I want you to know that I realize how much he means to you, but I know how much energy it takes to take care of a kid. So... I guess... I want you to be yourself around me.” 

Kuroo blinked. “Wow, I... yeah, I guess since Shoyo’s been a part of my life, I haven’t had much time to myself. Hell, I haven’t gone out on any dates since he was born.” 

“Seriously?” 

“Yeah. Kinda a sad life I’ve been living, huh?” Kuroo rubbed the back of his neck. 

“No, I’m honored that you came out on a date with me of all people,” Bokuto said quietly. “Fake date! I mean. Cause we’re fake dating. Out of spite.” His heart felt heavy as he made that reminder to himself. This wasn’t a real date, Kuroo wasn’t his real boyfriend. He couldn’t lose sight of that. 

“Yeah, well...” Kuroo shrugged. “Thanks for agreeing to do this. And thanks for taking me here, I should take Shoyo here sometime. I’m sure he’d love it.” 

“Oh, definitely. And y’know what would be super fun?! They have a laser tag arena here, we should get Kenma and Akaashi to play with us! I could probably get a couple friends from high school to come, too!” 

“That could be fun, if we could convince Kenma to agree to it,” Kuroo snorted. “He doesn’t like physical activity. Oikawa and Iwaizumi would probably be down, though. And I could maybe get a couple friends from high school as well.” 

“Sweet!” Bokuto pumped his fist. 

“But first, we should probably get out of these chairs, I think some kids want to play this game,” Kuroo smiled, looking behind him at a few angry looking teenagers. 

“Oh, yeah, that’s a good idea,” Bokuto agreed, scrambling out of the chair. “Sorry, guys!” 

“What should we do next?” he asked after they were out of the way of the grumpy teens who complained about old men taking over the arcade. 

Kuroo felt a little bit stung by that comment, but Bokuto seemed completely unaffected. As usual. Kuroo squinted at him. 

“What?” 

“I dunno, you just... How are you the way you are?” Kuroo asked. 

Bokuto cocked his head to the side. “What does that mean?” 

“Didn’t you hear those kids just now?” 

“Yeah, what about it?” he shrugged. 

“How are you just so unruffled by everything?” 

“Water off a duck’s back.” 

“Wow, you...” Kuroo shook his head, laughing a little. “You really don’t care about anyone’s opinion, do you?” It came out a little more venomous than he’d meant it to. He kept looking Bokuto in the eyes, though, because he really did mean what he said. He was bitter at how this man could do what he liked and not care that people were judging him. 

“I mean...” Bokuto shrugged nonchalantly, hoping that his true feelings didn’t come through. Usually he didn’t care what people thought of him. But he wanted Kuroo to like him. But apparently he wasn’t making such a good impression right now. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” Kuroo sighed. “Never mind. Forget I said anything. Let’s go find another game. Skee ball?” 

Bokuto lit up. “Hell yeah! I love that game! I kinda suck at it, but it’s really fun!” 

“Cool, let’s go,” Kuroo nodded, feeling awkward. Kuroo shoved his hands into his pockets so Bokuto couldn’t hold either of them, the plush shark pressed against his body with his elbow. 

Bokuto cocked his head to the side and linked his arm through Kuroo’s unoccupied arm. “We’re on a date, pay attention to me!” he pouted, looking at Kuroo with big golden eyes. 

Kuroo smiled slightly, taking his hand out of his pocket and swinging it around Bokuto’s neck. “I guess I can do this much, huh?” 

“At least,” Bokuto nodded, wrapping his arm around Kuroo’s waist. 

Walking like that gained them a few more stares than just holding hands did, but Kuroo kept his uneasiness to himself. Being around Bokuto made him want to be a better person, and he hoped that the same thing would happen to Shoyo. 

“Y’know, I’m going to sign Shoyo up for your class when it’s time, for sure,” he said. 

“Really?!” Bokuto’s arm tightened around Kuroo’s waist. 

“Absolutely. I think you’ll be a great role model for him. Probably a lot better than me.” 

“What do you mean? You’re a great guy, Kuroo.” Bokuto cocked his head to the side. 

“Doesn’t mean I want my son to take after me,” he shrugged. “I mean... I’m not the best dad ever.” 

Bokuto sighed. “I told you before, not every parent is perfect! You can’t keep putting yourself down just because you aren’t the kind of dad you thought you’d be. You’re human. You’re allowed to feel things, Kuroo.” 

“But what if I just wish I hadn’t had Shoyo?” Kuroo blurted out. He immediately bit his lips, wishing he could suck those words right back into his mouth. The thought was always at the back of his mind, but he’d never voiced it before. He’d never told anyone that he thought about it constantly. 

Bokuto’s grip around Kuroo’s waist tightened and he said quietly, “You wanna talk about that?” 

“No. I really, really don’t,” Kuroo shook his head. 

“Okay. Skee ball here we come.” Bokuto started to lead Kuroo toward the wall where the Skee ball machines were, but Kuroo pulled himself out of his grip. 

“You know what, Bokuto, as fun as this has been, I just...” Kuroo took a deep breath. “I don’t want to do this right now. It’s not fair of me to drop that bomb on you and then expect you to forget it.” 

“Kuroo, it’s fine, really.” 

“No, I’m gonna go pick up Shoyo from Yaku. I’ll see you around, though. Maybe we can try another date another time, okay?” Kuroo ruffled Bokuto’s hair, which he was unsurprised to find had some kind of product in it and walked away. 

“Hey, at least let me come with you,” Bokuto tried to reason with him. 

“No, I just made it super awkward, and I want to be alone now,” Kuroo shook his head. “I’ll see you later.” 

Kuroo walked to the train station by himself, and when he got there, he just stared at the shark Bokuto had gotten him in the eyes. _‘I fucked up royally, didn’t I, Mr. Shark?’_ he thought to himself. 

He couldn’t figure out what he was feeling, and a part of him just wanted to go home and have Yaku keep Shoyo for the night, but that wouldn’t be fair to anyone. But... he was allowed to be selfish, wasn’t he? Bokuto had said he was allowed to feel things. 

He sent a quick text to Yaku asking once again if it was okay for Shoyo to stay over there for the night, and Yaku replied that it of course was okay. 

Kuroo sighed in relief and got on the train back to his own apartment. He was going to enjoy some booze, watch some kind of shitty horror movie and then go to sleep. Probably cuddling with the shark plushy and wishing that it was Bokuto. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has blatant homophobia in it (as well as the f-slur), so read at your own risk

After having such a good time with Kuroo at the arcade, Bokuto trudged back to his apartment. Maybe he should’ve kept his mouth shut, but there was something that Kuroo said that bugged him. He seemed to think that he _had_ to be a perfect dad to Shoyo, but Bokuto had seen kids with some _fucked up_ relationships with their parents. Kuroo was just doing the best he could, and Bokuto admired that. A lot. Shoyo idolized his father as well, Bokuto had heard him talk about him so fondly before he’d even met Kuroo. 

It didn’t matter that maybe he had regrets about having a kid. Everyone has their own secrets and regrets. Bokuto was no exception to that. 

As he neared his apartment, he thought about calling Akaashi. He even pulled out his phone and squished the stuffed owl to his chest, staring at Akaashi’s contact. He’d never been hesitant about calling him before, but something about calling his best friend after a date was weird. Especially if Akaashi was doing wedding planning or something with Kenma. 

He shook it off and decided that he could get through this by talking to Sakura and then cuddling with Tawny. That would be fine. 

He walked into the apartment, finding it devoid of his sister. He heard Tawny whine from her kennel, and he realized that he hadn’t even walked her that day. He'd been so preoccupied with spending time with Kuroo. 

He immediately went to get her and asked soon as she was out, she jumped up on him, licking his face happily. 

“Hey, girl, sorry I haven’t been around today.” 

She pawed at the stuffed owl, but he immediately pulled it out of her reach. “Nope, this is not for you, Tawny,” he shook his head. She laid down in a sign of submission and looked at him with big eyes. “No matter how much you want it, it’s mine, Tawn.” He made sure she knew it was off-limits before he set it on his bed. 

“Let's go for a run, yeah?” 

The dog barked happily and sprinted to the door where she sat, wagging her tail and her tongue sticking out dopily. 

“I thought you’d be happy to go on a run,” Bokuto chuckled. 

… 

When they got back, Sakura was home, lounging on the sofa with a huge bag of Cheetos in front of her. Her fingers were stained orange, and she held a two-liter soda between her legs that was nearly gone. Her eyes were a bit glossy, like she’d been staring at the TV for too long. 

“Jeez, did you just inhale that junk or what?” Bokuto asked as he walked past her towards the bathroom. 

In response she flipped him off and said, “You stink.” 

“I know,” he rolled his eyes. “How did your date go last night, though?” 

Sakura shrugged. “It was all right; we didn't really click. A shame, really, cause she was super cute… Oh, by the way, Mom texted me and said they’re coming for dinner tomorrow night. I think they want to make sure we haven't killed ourselves yet. Because, y'know, we’re the embodiment of evil and we aren't married to members of the opposite sex despite being over twenty years old.” 

Bokuto froze when he heard about their parents. He loved them but was reduced to a scared, closeted mess around them. Normally he was extremely comfortable in his own skin, but when your parents reject a huge part of who you are, that’s a hard blow. 

He sighed. “Yeah, you're probably right. Let’s start cleaning today and then tomorrow we can go grocery shopping.” 

“Aye, aye, sir,” Sakura saluted playfully. 

“I really mean it, Saks. If Mom finds one thing out of place, who knows what she’ll do?” 

“I know, really. We’ll make this place spotless. Oh, but what about Tawny? You know how she feels about dogs.” 

The animal in question trotted over to Sakura and licked her fingers. She scratched Tawny with her other hand, looking at her brother. 

Bokuto bit his lip. “Guess we’ll have to have her be in the kennel while Mom and Dad are here.” 

“Poor baby...” Sakura shook her head. 

“I’m going to go take a shower, I’ll clean the bathroom while I’m in there, okay? You can start by cleaning up your mess in here.” 

“Will do, captain.” 

… 

"Are we ready for them?” Bokuto asked his sister, making sure that their apartment was spotless. “We’ve got everything vacuumed, swept, sparkling, no dishes in the sink?” 

“Yes, Kou, oh my god. This isn’t the first time they’ve come to visit,” she rolled her eyes. 

“I know, but like...” Bokuto ruffled his hair. “Doesn’t make me any less nervous. How are you so chill? You have a girlfriend, don’t you? Mom’ll pick up on that you’re seeing someone.” 

“We went on one date, Kou, and it wasn’t even that great. Mom won’t pick up on anything from me. From you, however...” She raised an eyebrow. 

“What?” 

“I dunno, you just kinda put off energy that you’re in love.” 

“I’m not. I mean...” He took a deep breath. “I’m gonna call someone.” 

He walked to his room and took out his phone to call Akaashi. He’d ended up going to sleep after his shower and cleaning the bathroom, so he’d never really gotten to talk about his “date” with Kuroo. And how he’d accidentally stepped on a landmine. 

Amazingly, Akaashi answered rather quickly. “What’s wrong?” he asked, a hint of concern in his usual deadpan voice. 

“Akaashi, I had a date with Kuroo yesterday, and I was going to call you right after, but... Not the point. I think I fucked it up.” 

“How so?” 

“That’s the thing, I don’t really know, I just... I’m freaking out about a lot of things right now.” Bokuto sighed, squeezing the stuffed owl he'd gotten the day before. “My parents are coming for dinner tonight.” 

“Oh. Good luck. Do you... want anything from me?” 

“I don’t know... You know how my parents are... But I don’t want to fuck up with Kuroo more than I already did, so... I want to come out to them.” He didn’t want to lose Kuroo like he’d lost Akaashi. 

Akaashi was quiet for a moment. “That’s huge, Bokuto. Do you want me to come for moral support?” 

“Actually... I had an idea. Would you bring Kenma with you? If you don’t mind me like... using you guys to come out... No, that’s stupid, forget I asked.” 

“If you’re ready, Bokuto, we’ll help you,” Kenma’s voice came from the other end. Apparently he’d been on speakerphone this whole time. 

“Really?” 

“Of course. No matter the outcome, we’ll be here for you no matter what,” Akaashi said. “You’re my best friend, Bokuto, and nothing’s ever going to change that. Not even your shitty mom.” 

Bokuto chuckled. “Thanks. How about you come around four thirty, I think my parents are supposed to be here around then.” 

“Sounds good. Do you want us to make some kind of grand gay entrance?” Akaashi laughed. 

“No, you don’t have to,” Bokuto chuckled. “Just be yourselves and Kenma, I’m sorry if my mom thinks you’re a girl at first because of your hair.” 

“She’s really like that?” Kenma asked. 

“You have no idea. I apologize in advance for how she’s going to act. She might even just not acknowledge you after she realizes you’re a guy.” 

“Damn, I’m sorry you have to deal with that, Bokuto.” 

“I’m ready to be over it, y’know? I’m...” he took a shaky breath. “I’ve got to let them know. I’m not scared anymore, cause I have you guys.” 

“Of course. We’re not going anywhere, ever, Bokuto. We love you.” 

“Thanks, ‘Kaashi,” Bokuto swiped his eyes. “I’ll see you guys later.” 

He hung up and jumped off his bed, zooming to the kitchen and ready to cook up a storm. He was going to blow his mom’s socks off with his cooking, and he was going to get her to accept him as he was. 

At four o’clock, the doorbell rang and Sakura went to answer the it while Bokuto stayed in the kitchen, still cooking. 

“They’re early,” he hissed. “It’s not ready yet!” 

“What did you expect? Mom’s always early to everything!” Sakura whispered back. “At least she’ll see you cooking.” 

“You’re right, this is fine,” Bokuto breathed. He tried to calm his hammering heart, but a lot was riding on this dinner. 

“Hey, Mom and Dad! Welcome!” Sakura said as soon as the door was open. 

“Sakura, my beautiful daughter! How are you?!” their mom hugged Sakura tightly, beaming. 

“I’m doing pretty good, how about you, Mom?” She hugged their mom lightly, not a fan of physical affection, especially from her mother. 

“Oh, I’m wonderful, darling,” she nodded. “Where’s my handsome boy?” 

As soon as she walked in, Bokuto was greeted by the weird and very distinct smell of his mother’s perfume. He’d never liked it; it made her smell like an old lady. Like, that smell you only get from _really_ old people, the smell that’s always heavy in nursing homes. 

“Hey, Mom! Hey, Dad!” he greeted them with a wide smile from the kitchen. He just hoped they wouldn’t be able to tell how nervous he was. 

“Koutarou!” She cocked her head to the side, her smile faltering when she saw where he was. “What are you doing in the kitchen, son?” 

“Cooking dinner, obviously?” Bokuto shrugged. “It’s almost ready.” 

“Sakura, why aren’t you cooking?” their mother asked, looking pointedly at her daughter. 

“Kou’s a better cook than I am, trust me. Come sit down and we can chat,” Sakura said, bailing her brother out of an awkward conversation with their mother. 

His mother had never approved of him being a teacher, let alone an elementary school teacher. She expected him to be a doctor, get married, have children, just like his father had done. She was extremely old-fashioned and Bokuto hated it. The fact that she’d given him a dirty look for just being in the kitchen was evidence that she still hadn’t changed. 

His heart beat faster as he remembered the real reason for this dinner. 

“I hope you guys don’t mind, but I also invited Akaashi to dinner,” Bokuto called. 

“Oh, Akaashi! How is that wonderful boy doing nowadays?!” his mother asked, delighted. 

She’d known Akaashi very well, since he’d gone over to their house under the guise of “studying” _a lot._ They’d done a lot of things that his mother would never approve of, and Bokuto was honestly surprised she had never suspected anything, but it was for the best. 

“Oh, he’s living his best life. He’s engaged!” 

“He is?! Oh my! I’m sure she’s a wonderful girl! Please tell me she’s coming with him! I can’t wait to meet her!” 

“Uh...” Sakura gave her brother a mildly panicked look. 

Bokuto shook his head at Sakura. “It’s fine,” he whispered to her as he put some dishes on the table. “I'm gonna use them as a springboard and tell Mom and Dad.” 

Sakura's eyes widened. “Oh my god. Good luck, Kou. We’re in this together.” 

They clasped hands and nodded to each other, in an act of solidarity. 

They’d just finished laying out the dishes when another knock came on the door. 

“I'll get it!” Sakura bellowed and flew over to the door. She fully believed that if her mother answered the door, neither man would make it past the threshold. 

“Hey, Sakura,” Akaashi's calm voice came from beyond the door. 

Bokuto's heart pounded as he watched Kenma come in after Akaashi. 

“Oh, Akaashi! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you!” his mom hugged Akaashi as soon as she saw him. She looked over his shoulder, still grinning as she saw Kenma. “And who’s this young lady?” 

Bokuto cringed. He’d known this was going to happen. 

She seemed to realize as soon as she got a closer look at him. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry! I thought you were bringing your fiancée? Where is she?” She made a huge show of looking through the doorway, into the hallway.

“It’s good to see you as well,” Akaashi said politely. “And this _is_ my fiancé, Kozume Kenma. He’s a pretty famous gamer.” 

Mrs. Bokuto’s smile dropped. “Oh. I see.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Bokuto,” Kenma said, holding out his hand. 

She didn’t respond and turned around to sit at the table. “Shall we start eating this wonderful meal that was made for us?” she asked, pointedly ignoring the fact that her son was the one who made it. 

They all sat down and Bokuto glanced at Kenma. “Sorry,” he muttered under his breath. 

Kenma waved it off, unbothered. He didn’t care what other people thought; he had to have a tough skin to be a famous gamer. 

They all sat awkwardly for a few moments before Mr. Bokuto cleared his throat. “So, Akaashi, how did you and Kozume meet?” 

Akaashi chuckled at the memory. “I work at a daycare and Kenma came to pick up his friend’s son but he wasn’t on the list of approved personnel. And honestly he looked kind of shady. So I called Shoyo’s dad and made sure that Kenma was okay to pick him up.” 

Kenma snorted and brushed some hair out of his face. “You are so rude. But I guess my hair was a lot more unkempt back then.” 

“You literally looked like the Grudge, babe,” Akaashi laughed. “I still thought you were cute though.” 

“How sweet, I hope you know I fell for you at first sight,” Kenma winked and blew a kiss at Akaashi. 

Bokuto thought they were laying it on a little thick, but honestly it was helping him gather up courage. If his best friend could be openly gay, he could be too. It didn’t matter what his mother thought. 

“Why didn’t the boy’s mother pick him up?” Bokuto’s mom asked tersely, stabbing at her food. 

“She’s a bitch and the two of them aren’t together anymore,” Kenma said simply. 

Bokuto snorted. “Yeah she is.” 

“Koutarou, may I speak to you privately?” Bokuto’s mother interrupted forcefully, marching over to the kitchen and leaving no room for argument. 

Bokuto felt his heart drop to his stomach and looked at his friends with panic. It was moving too fast; _he wasn’t ready!_

“You got this,” Akaashi whispered, smiling slightly and patting him on the back. 

He took a deep breath and followed his mother to the kitchen, where she was leaning against the counter with her arms crossed. 

“You don’t know what happened between that boy and the mother of his child, do you?” she asked. “How can you claim to know that she was unpleasant?” 

“I _do_ know, though, Mom. I’ve met her. I know the father well. I’ve played with his son, too, cause Kenma and Akaashi watch him a lot.” 

Her eyes narrowed. “How _well_ do you know the father? Do you know if he and the mother were married?” 

“Oh my god, Mom, get with the times. It doesn’t matter if he was married to her or not. He loves his son so much, and Shoyo loves his dad just as much.” 

“Did you know about Akaashi when you were friends in high school?” she growled. 

“What about him?” Bokuto blinked at the sudden change of subject. His head was still reeling from his mother questioning about Shoyo’s mom. 

Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t play dumb, Koutarou. Did you know about his life style?” 

Bokuto took a deep breath. “Yes. I did, Mom. And I’m dating Shoyo’s dad. I’m also gay.” 

Her jaw clenched and she looked at him, disgusted. “Akaashi turned you, didn’t he? You were fucking each other behind my back, weren’t you?!” 

Bokuto stepped back. He’d never heard his mother curse before, especially never aimed at him. Apparently she’d suspected he and Akaashi had been dating after all. “It’s not contagious! But, yes, he and I did date my third year of high school. And remember how I’d watch volleyball tournaments all the time when I was younger? I mean, I _do_ love volleyball, but –” 

She shook her head and stormed past him. Everyone looked up when she stalked up to her husband and grabbed his wrist. “Honey, we are leaving _right now._ Sakura, pack your things immediately. You’re coming to live with us back at home. I won’t have you living with your faggot of a brother, nor associating with these others.” 

The tension in the air was so thick Bokuto couldn’t breathe. 

Sakura looked her mother dead in the eyes and said, “Nah, I’m pretty sure you won’t want to live with your dyke daughter.” 

Mrs. Bokuto’s jaw dropped and she sputtered. “How _dare _you!”__

She dragged her husband out of the apartment before slamming the door behind them. 

It was silent. 

The Bokuto siblings looked at each other and immediately wrapped each other in a hug before bursting into tears. 

Bokuto clenched onto Sakura’s shirt, and she buried her face into his shoulder. Their sobs were the only sound in the apartment. 

“For what it’s worth, I’m really proud of both of you. Though I know I’m not the person you want to hear that from,” Akaashi said quietly, softly hugging both of them.


	12. Chapter 12

Kuroo had been wallowing in his self-deprecation for nearly a whole twenty-four hours. Thankfully Yaku had been gracious enough to let Shoyo stay with him for the rest of the weekend. Kuroo had really blown it with Bokuto, bringing up his best-kept secret with someone he barely knew. 

It had been all he’d been able to think about, and he couldn’t face his son like that. He didn’t want to say something, unintentional or otherwise, that could traumatize the boy and make him question his love for him. He really did love Shoyo, from the bottom of his heart, but there were so many more complicated feelings involved. Especially since Mika and Daisho had shown up. He didn’t want to have to deal with the two of them, but he would eventually. He’d have to tell Shoyo about them someday, hopefully no time soon, though. 

Oikawa, true to his word, had come over to Kuroo’s apartment after his game. Kuroo had locked the deadbolt, though, and he’d heard Oikawa screaming for him to come let him in for at least twenty minutes straight. Oikawa _really_ wasn’t concerned with what their neighbors thought of him. 

Iwaizumi had texted Kuroo, asking if he should kick Oikawa’s ass because he truly didn't have boundaries when it came to his friends sometimes. 

Kuroo had thanked Iwaizumi for checking in and said that he did want alone time. Oikawa had stopped bugging him after that but sent one last, very sweet, text. 

_Oikawa: When I said I wouldn’t let you wallow I mean it, goddammit. But... Just know that I love you and you can talk to me about anything, okay? Also pls allow me to punch Daisho at least once while he’s on my team, I'm ready._

Kuroo had laughed and left Oikawa on read, something he knew he _hated_ but he’d respond eventually. Plus Oikawa would more than likely bug him within the next week. He was able to enjoy the rest of his weekend alone, locking in his apartment by himself; something he hadn’t done since Shoyo was born. 

It was nice. 

He forced himself to grade some homework, but thankfully he’d gotten most of it done already, so he could focus on writing the test for the next unit and his lesson plans for the week. 

With thankfully all of it done by Sunday night, he was absolutely baffled when Kenma sent him a text. He never initiated conversations with Kuroo, if he could help it. And all of the conversations were always about Shoyo. This one came with urgency. 

_Kenma: can we talk about something?_

Kuroo gulped and clasped his phone. Kenma was never this serious. Even when they'd broken up, it had just kinda been a joke to both of them and they were still friends. It still hurt, a lot, but Kuroo was glad Kenma had never really been the type to take everything super seriously. 

_Kuroo: Sure dude, what's up? Everything okay?_

_Kenma: not really, and I... I want my best friend back..._

Kuroo’s heart squeezed when he saw the sentence. He really had kind of dropped the ball on their friendship when Shoyo had been born, and especially after Kenma and Akaashi had gotten together. Now that he thought about it, every time they’d seen each other it had always been because Kuroo was coming to pick Shoyo up or drop him off at Kenma’s apartment. Since Shoyo had been born, he’d never spent more than a couple minutes one-on-one with Kenma. 

_Kuroo: ofc, you wanna come over? Shoyo's with Yaku right now._

_Kenma: yh sounds perfect I’ll be over in 20._

Kuroo was tidying up the living room when a knock came on the door and he bolted straight up. He took a deep breath, gathering his wits before walking to the door like a zombie. 

He opened the door to reveal a somewhat disheveled Kenma. 

“Hey, come on in,” Kuroo stepped aside, rubbing the back of his neck. He hadn’t expected to feel so awkward. He wasn’t sure if Kenma felt the same, but... 

He flopped down face first onto Kuroo’s couch with a loud groan. 

_Apparently not._

“What’s up?” Kuroo asked, pushing back his awkward feeling. He sat down on the floor like he’d done when they were in high school, his arm on the couch next to Kenma’s legs and his palm cupping his cheek. 

Kenma turned onto his side and propped his head up. “I never realized how lucky we were in high school.” 

“What do you mean?” Kuroo raised an eyebrow. 

Kenma gave him an incredulous look. “We were out as a couple to everyone around us. Our friends fully supported us. Your grandparents were almost embarrassingly so, your dad didn’t really care. My parents were fully supportive.” 

Kuroo was taken aback. “What brings all this up, Kenma? We haven’t talked about our relationship since we broke up.” 

“Yeah, and you never talked to me about the relationships you had afterwards. I assume you had a ton of one-night stands cause you constantly posted about parties you went to on all your socials. But you _never_ talked to me.” 

“You were busy with school, Kenma! Isn’t that the whole reason we broke up?!” Kuroo waved his hands. 

“You think I was too busy for you?! _My best friend?!”_ Kenma sat up and grabbed the collar of Kuroo’s shirt aggressively. “ _You’re_ the one who stopped talking to _me,_ asshole. You never answered my texts, we never called...” Kenma licked his lips, and Kuroo could see many emotions swirling in his golden eyes. “It fucking _hurt,_ Kuroo.” 

Kuroo realized that maybe he hadn’t just dropped their friendship when Shoyo was born; he’d done it _much_ before then. “Kenma, I didn’t mean to ignore you and –” 

“But you fucking did,” Kenma growled, his fists tightening in Kuroo’s shirt. “You, the _one_ person I'd let in to my life, the one person I'd loved. Just... dropped off the face of the earth. But only to me. You kept in touch with Tora, even. I just... If you thought I was anxiety-ridden as a kid, six-year-old Kenma had nothing on eighteen-year-old Kenma. I started to think that everyone would leave me, so why the hell would I even try? Kuroo, it got so bad that not even a month into the year I requested to take all my classes online.” 

Kuroo slowly put his hands over Kenma’s shaking ones. “Kenma, I’m so sorry. That must’ve really fucking hurt and oh my god. I’m so sorry that I did that to you.” 

Kenma took a shaky breath and unclenched his hands and grabbed Kuroo’s with them. “I was really... I got really standoffish and distant. Mom started asking what happened and I couldn’t tell her. I just... I was so pissed at you. It took a long time for me to trust people again.” He scoffed. “It’s honestly a miracle that me and Keiji are getting married, after what you put me through, you ass.” 

Kuroo smiled a little at how soft Kenma got when he talked about Akaashi. “I guess... I did kind of just drop Shoyo on you, didn’t I? I never...” Kuroo bit his lips. “I never even told you what happened with Mika.” 

“Oh, so you’re actually going to tell me the whole story instead of some bullshit excuse? Cause you _never_ gave me an explanation. You just showed up one day at my apartment, child in hand, and said that he was yours and that your girlfriend dumped you. A girlfriend I had never met.” 

“You’re right,” Kuroo shrugged. “And I am a shitty friend.” 

“You’re getting a little better, though. I mean, you did set me up with Keiji.” 

“Damn right I did. But really, Kenma, I am sorry that I dropped our friendship so bad. I just...” He shook his head. Now or never, he supposed. “Breaking up with you was _really_ hard on me. I guess I just... I’d never loved anyone as much as you, and imagining that you’d move on from _us_ was...” he trailed off. 

“What, are you still in love with me or something?” Kenma snorted, completely joking. 

Kuroo’s heart stopped at how casually Kenma just hit the nail on the head without even trying. 

When Kuroo didn’t respond, Kenma looked at him. He was biting his lip with an apologetic look in his eyes. 

Kenma’s eyes widened. “Oh. Shit. Really?” 

Kuroo sighed and looked at their clasped hands. He chuckled before looking Kenma in the eyes. “Yeah. I just... A part of me couldn’t let you go, and I... I hoped that setting you up with Akaashi would help me get over you, but it never did.” 

“Kuroo...” Kenma squeezed his hands. “You’ll find someone you’ll love so much more than you ever loved me. I know it hurts to hear, but I love Keiji so much more than I loved you.” 

Kuroo snorted at that. “Way to sugar coat that, Kenma. But what if I don’t?” 

“You _will._ You’re a great guy, Kuroo. There isn’t any reason why you _wouldn’t._ Plus, I kinda overheard Bokuto say that you guys are dating. Why didn’t you tell me and Keiji?” 

Kuroo’s eyebrows furrowed. They hadn’t mentioned saying anything about their arrangement to their friends. He thought it was strictly for when Daisho and Mika were around. 

“Oh, uh... we were waiting for the right time to tell you guys,” Kuroo nodded awkwardly. His head reeled. Was Bokuto mad at him and that’s why he’d spilled the beans? But why hadn’t he said that they were only fake dating?! 

“For what it’s worth, I think Bokuto really likes you, though, and I think you should give him a chance. Plus, Sho adores him.” 

“Yeah...” 

“Anyway, I think we finally got some closure, don’t you?” 

“Sure,” Kuroo nodded, not really paying attention to what Kenma was saying. 

“So... Would you be my best man and my and Keiji’s wedding?” 

Those words snapped Kuroo out of his stupor and his jaw dropped. “You serious?! Even after what I just told you?!” 

Kenma rolled his eyes and pulled his hands out of Kuroo’s to slap his cheeks and squish his face. “If you honestly think that knowing you still love me is going to deter me from marrying Keiji, you are severely mistaken. And c’mon, Kuroo, you’re my best friend. Why _wouldn’t_ you be my best man?” 

Kuroo was going to cry, Kenma was making him feel so many things all at once. “Of course I’ll be your best man, Kenma!” He grabbed Kenma’s shoulders and yanked him into a bone crushing hug. 

“I mean, you’re like my only friend other than Keiji, so,” Kenma smirked, returning the hug. 

“Don’t be such a dick. Yamamoto would’ve gladly been your best man.” 

“And have his ugly crying face ruining my wedding photos? No way.” 

“Bold of you to assume _I’m_ not going to cry.” 

“Well, then, guess I rescind my offer. Maybe I’ll ask Shibayama...” 

“Nope! You already asked me! I’m gonna be your best man and there’s nothing you can do about it!” Kuroo grinned, pulling back from their hug. 

“Shoyo can be our ring bearer.” 

“Oh my god,” Kuroo gasped. “He would make the cutest little ring bearer oh my god. Really, you’d let him be a part of your wedding, though?” 

“Of course,” Kenma looked at Kuroo like he was stupid. “Why wouldn’t we?” 

“I dunno, just... Really, Kenma, your friendship means so much to me, and you’re sure that my lingering feelings for you don’t weird you out?” 

“I’m confident in my and Keiji’s relationship, Kuroo. We communicate everything with each other. I’m telling him about this, by the way, just so you know.” 

Kuroo nodded. “Okay, that’s fine. I mean... not really, because I don’t want him to think... I mean, I really don’t want to come between you two at all.” 

“And you never will,” Kenma said certainly. “Anyway, I'll let you know some more details as the wedding gets closer, yeah?” 

“Yeah, but hey, when actually are you doing the wedding?” 

“We’re still trying to figure it out, honestly, but... we’re thinking in a couple weeks, before we go to the YouTube convention. Like, beginning of next month?” 

Kuroo nodded. “I’ll clear my schedule for sure. And let me know if you need any help with anything, okay? I want to be the best best man ever.” 

“Well, you’ll be competing with your boyfriend for that title, I’m sure,” Kenma rolled his eyes. “So, good luck with that. Anyway, I’m... I'm really glad that we cleared the air. It’s great to have my best friend back.” 

Kuroo smiled. “Yeah.” 

They hugged once more before Kenma’s phone pinged with a text. “I’m gonna head home. I’ll see you tomorrow, when you drop Sho off?” 

Kuroo nodded. “Thanks for all you do for me, Kenma. It really means so much.” 

“Of course. You know that I’ve never once considered you as less than my best friend, right? That’s why I started watching Sho, no questions asked.” 

“Kenma, you are literally going to make me start crying, stop it,” Kuroo grinned, shoving Kenma’s shoulder. “Besides, I need to go pick up Sho from Yaku’s place.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll see you,” Kenma waved and made his way to the station. 

Kuroo threw on some clothes that he could be seen in public in before sending a text to Yaku letting him know he was on his way. 

He fiddled with his phone on the train to Yaku’s apartment when he got a call. From Bokuto. 

They’d never talked on the phone before, but Kuroo answered it. 

“Hey, Bokuto, what’s up?” 

“Hey, um... Are you home right now?” 

Bokuto’s voice was strained, and he was sniffling like he’d been... crying? 

Kuroo’s brows furrowed. “No, actually, I'm on my way to pick up Sho from Yaku’s place. What’s wrong?” 

“Oh, uh, I just...” Bokuto laughed awkwardly. “I, um, came out to my parents.” 

Kuroo found himself grinning. “I’m proud of you.” 

Bokuto laughed again, but it was devoid of happiness. “Yeah, well... Mom didn’t take it well at all and just... it fucking sucked.” 

Kuroo licked his lips. Now wasn’t the time to bring up what Kenma had said about knowing they were "dating", and he couldn’t be there for Bokuto; he had his son to think of at the moment. 

“I’m sorry that it didn’t go well,” he said softly. “I wish I could help you, but...” 

“No, no, I get it. Shoyo’s super important to you; I know. And it’s not like you’re my real boyfriend anyway,” Bokuto said quietly. “I don’t know why I... Sorry for calling you.” 

Kuroo’s heart ached. “No, that’s not what I meant, Bokuto, I just...” he sighed. “Fuck the fake dating thing; we’re friends at the very least, right? Friends help each other. So... would it make you feel better if you came and slept over at my place?” 

“...Yeah...” 

“Okay then. I’ll text you when I get Shoyo to bed, though it’ll probably be a while.” 

“Okay. Sorry for being a bother, Kuroo.” 

“Bokuto... no, you’re not a bother, I just...” Kuroo ran his free hand through his hair as he sighed. “Remember what I said to you about Shoyo?” 

Bokuto hummed, probably unsure of where Kuroo was going with the conversation. 

“Now that it’s out, I've been thinking about it like... a lot more than I usually do. I've always pushed it to the back of my head and now I just... Shoyo deserves to know some things.” 

“You’re not gonna tell him... _that,_ are you?!” 

“No, of course not!” Kuroo shouted, making people on the train turn to look at him. “No, I'm just gonna... I’m going to tell him about Mika, and just... I think he deserves to know that she’s his mom. I’ve never really talked about her around him, so he doesn’t know much about her, but if he wants to get to know her... who am I to refuse that? I mean... I'm not really even...” 

Bokuto groaned. “Oh my god, Kuroo. Do I have to fucking smack you to make you realize that _you’re Shoyo’s father?_ It doesn’t matter who his biological dad is. _You’re_ the one who’s raising him; _you’re_ the one who’s been there. I’m going to tell you more when I come over, but... Seriously, Kuroo, you’re a great dad.” 

“And you’re a great guy, Bokuto. I hope that you know that if your parents don’t accept you, you’re still amazing. And honestly whoever you date is going to be a lucky man. Anyway, I'm almost to Yaku’s, so I'll text you later.” 

“Okay. See ya,” Bokuto said softly. 

Kuroo took a deep breath and exited the train to finish the walk to Yaku’s apartment. 

When he got there, Shoyo ran right up to him and hugged his legs. “I missed you, Daddy!” he looked up at Kuroo with big eyes and it made Kuroo’s heart melt. 

“I missed you too, bud,” he picked Shoyo up and kissed his forehead. “Did you have fun with Uncle Mori?” 

“Yeah! Unc-Yuki came over, too!” 

“Oh? I bet that was fun,” he looked over at Yaku, who looked a little worn out. “Go get your shoes on, bud, and we’ll head home, okay?” 

“Kay!” Shoyo smiled and ran to the entry way. 

“How was he, Yaku?” he asked. 

“He was a bundle of energy, as always,” Yaku smiled. “I took him to the park and he played with some other kids for a while. Kai came over for dinner last night.” 

Kuroo grinned. “Sorry I missed him.” 

“Yeah, he’s doing well. But, Kuroo, what’s going on with you?” 

He scoffed through his nose. “Can’t keep anything from you, can I, Yaku? I’ll explain later, because I need to talk to Shoyo about it first...” 

Yaku shrugged. “Okay. But you will tell me what’s going on, right?” 

“I mean, there’s been a fucking _lot_ happening in the past week, but yeah. Eventually.” 

“I’m ready, Daddy!” Shoyo yelled into the apartment. 

“Okay, bud, I’m coming!” Kuroo called back. “Really, Yaku, once everything’s kind of calmed down.” 

Yaku sighed. “Okay. I’ll talk to you later, then.” 

Kuroo held Shoyo’s hand as they walked to the station and then all the way back to their apartment. He listened to his son’s excited recount of his weekend with Yaku, and he almost wished that he wouldn’t have to talk to Shoyo about this. 

When they got back to the apartment, it was still a little early, and Kuroo took a deep breath. 

“Hey, Shoyo, if you had the chance, would you want to meet your mom?” he asked, sitting on the couch in the living room as Shoyo played with his toys. 

The boy looked up, his eyes glittering. “I could meet her?” 

Oh, _god,_ the hope in his face. This was going to be hard. “Well... yeah. She’s... she’s back, and you could meet her if you wanted.” 

“I do! I do!” Shoyo bounced in front of Kuroo. 

“Wow, you’re very enthusiastic about this, bud,” Kuroo smiled awkwardly. “Um... what if I told you that you did actually... kind of meet her?” 

Shoyo blinked. 

“Remember those two people at the volleyball match? Before Bokuto came?” 

“Oh! The scary ones?” Shoyo nodded. 

Kuroo tried not to laugh. “Sure, we’ll go with that. Um... that was your mom.” 

Shoyo’s grin fell. “I don’t wanna meet her.” 

“You’re sure? I mean...” 

“She hurt you, Daddy, so I don’t wanna.” 

Kuroo felt a stab in his heart. Had he really been that obvious about how much Mika had hurt him that his six-year-old son had noticed? Damn. She really had fucked him up. 

“She’s still your mom, Shoyo.” 

He wasn’t sure why he was trying to convince Shoyo to meet Mika. It wasn’t like she’d ever wanted him. She’d made that much very clear. But now all of a sudden, she came back and wanted to be a part of his life again. 

Now that he thought about it, having Shoyo meet her was probably playing right into her hand. He couldn’t do that. He would _not_ lose his sunshine. 

“Don’t care. I don’t like her,” Shoyo fiddled with the trucks he had on the floor. 

“Okay, bud, you don’t have to meet her if you don’t want to. I just want you to know that it’s an option.” Kuroo brought Kuroo into a big bear hug. “But you do need to get ready for bed, okay? Get your pajamas on and I'll be in to read to you in a bit.” 

“Okay, Daddy!” Shoyo kissed Kuroo’s cheek and ran off to his room. 

Kuroo got out his phone and shot a text off to Bokuto before he forgot. 

_Kuroo: Gonna get the kid to bed in like 10-15 minutes. You're still welcome to come and sleep over if you want. I think both of us have to be up early tho, considering we do have school tomorrow._

Honestly a part of him was hoping that Bokuto would still come over, but at the same time he wasn’t sure if either of them were emotionally stable enough for each other. They both had shit to work through, and Kuroo wasn’t sure if he was equipped to deal with Bokuto’s problems. 

_Bokuto: ur right, it is a school night. I forgot lol. Um... raincheck?_

_Kuroo: u sure? U sounded really upset..._

_Bokuto: yh, u prob have to get up earlier than me and I don’t wanna bother u._

_Kuroo: you wouldn’t bother me, Bokuto. Really._

_Bokuto: I just don’t wanna be alone; Sakura went off barhopping and... idk we don’t have to talk, can we just... cuddle like we did a few days ago?_

_Kuroo: get your ass over here._

He put his phone in his pocket and made his way to Shoyo’s room to read whatever book his son picked. Amazingly, the kid was already asleep when he got there; half in his bed and half on the floor. 

Kuroo immediately whipped his phone out and took a picture of Shoyo because kids fell asleep in the weirdest positions. He chuckled to himself softly and then helped Shoyo get tucked in. He pressed a kiss to his forehead before going back out into the living room. 

He wasn’t sure how best to greet Bokuto when he got there. But... Maybe he could cheer him up with something. He wanted to cuddle, and Kuroo’s room was fully off-limits, so they’d have to cuddle out in the living room. 

Kuroo went to his room and opened the closet to grab all the spare blankets and pillows he could find. He wanted them to be comfortable while they were cuddling, after all. 

He’d just gotten pretty much all of the pillows and blankets out into the living room when a soft knock came on the door. 

It could only be Bokuto, so he immediately went over to open it. “Hey, dude!” he smiled. 

“Hey,” Bokuto grinned awkwardly. His eyes were rimmed with red, which made Kuroo’s heart lurch. 

He _really_ needed cuddles, apparently. 

“So. I thought we could make a pillow and blanket fort and sleep in it while we cuddle,” Kuroo said, gesturing to the huge mess he’d made. 

Bokuto’s face lit up and he immediately grabbed Kuroo in a huge hug. “Oh my god, that is the best idea ever! You have a lot of material for it!” 

Kuroo shrugged. “I just like having pillows and blankets. I haven’t done this in forever, but I've always had the stuff for it. Let’s do this.” 

They drew apart and, using the couch as an anchor, started to build a fort. They didn’t speak much, neither of them wanting or needing to. Having the warmth of another person near them was enough. 

It ended up being rather small, since they mainly used the pillows on the floor so they could sleep comfortably. 

“I think we did a pretty good job,” Bokuto said after they decided it was done. 

“I agree,” Kuroo nodded, cuddling up to Bokuto’s side and Bokuto wrapped his arm around Kuroo’s waist to pull him closer. “So... do you wanna talk or...?” He set his hand on Bokuto’s muscular chest, feeling his steady heartbeat underneath his palm. 

“I’m tired, I just want to sleep, honestly. Had a hell of a day,” Bokuto muttered into Kuroo’s hair. 

“I thought as much, and honestly same. Good night, Bokuto.” 

“Night, babe,” Bokuto said quietly. 

Kuroo’s stomach leaped at the pet name, but Bokuto honestly already sounded half-asleep. And when he shifted just a little bit to look at Bokuto’s face, sure enough. His eyes were closed and his breathing was deep. 

“Stop playing with my heart, Bo,” Kuroo whispered, closing his eyes and falling asleep as well. 


End file.
